FUMO - A VAPE CESSATION APP
Empowering Young Adults to Overcome Vape Dependency
TL;DR
Timeline
12 Weeks
(Aug 2023 - Oct 2023)
Discipline
User Experience Research
User Experience Design
Responsibilities
UX Research
Observations
User Interviews
Affinity Mapping
Empathy Mapping
Personas
Storyboards
Usability Testing
Tools
Figma
Miro
Zoom
Google Forms
Team
4 Members
CONTEXT
The Growing Vape Epidemic: A Crisis We Can’t Ignore
"Vaping was everywhere. When I moved to the U.S., I saw young adults casually vaping, convinced it was a harmless, even trendy alternative to smoking. At first, it seemed like just another social habit.
But then, something changed. What started as occasional use turned into dependency. Friends who once said, “I can quit anytime,” found themselves unable to stop. Many wanted out, but they didn’t know how.
That’s when my teammates and I knew this was bigger than just a habit, it was an addiction crisis. Many of them who wanted to quit didn’t know where to start, caught between cravings and frustration.
With Indiana University’s Grand Challenge focused on “Responding to the Addiction Crisis”, we saw an opportunity to take action.
Youth using E-cigarettes
THE CHALLENGE
Why Quitting Vaping Is Harder Than It Seems ?
CORE PROBLEM
Vaping isn’t just a nicotine addiction, it is a behavioural loop tied to routine, emotions, and identity.
SUB PROBLEMS
UNIQUE TRIGGERS
Each individual's addiction is driven
by specific personal triggers, such
as social environments or emotional states making quitting highly individualized and difficult to manage.
EARLY STRUGGLES
While quitting, the first 48 hours bring intense cravings and withdrawal, leading to frequent relapse.
RELAPSE CYCLE
They often experience relapse but lack the necessary resources and
strategies to recover and
continue their quitting journey.
SOLUTION
A Smarter & Sustainable Path to Vape-Free Living
Quitting isn’t just about saying no, it’s about breaking the cycle and building something better.
FUMO helps young adults reclaim control by replacing cravings with meaningful habits, not just resisting them. With evidence-based strategies like personalized interventions, real-time support, and progress tracking, we turn quitting into an achievable, empowering journey, not a struggle.
Personalized Intervention Plan
Users begin their quitting journey with questions about their triggers and motivations
Fumo detects their vaping patterns and creates a personalized schedule, replacing cravings with engaging activities at the moments they need it most.
In the crucial first 48 hours, the app delivers personalized reminders and notifications, ensuring users stay supported when cravings hit hardest.
Relapse Management (Fail - Safe)
When relapse occurs, users begin with a mindfulness flow to regain emotional control.
Fumo then analyzes triggers and environmental cues through an assessment
It then generates personalized analytics and emergency coping strategies to understand why the setback occurred, helping users to bounce back stronger
Motivational Features
Users can track their vape-free streak, money saved and see hours reclaimed through healthier activities, turning progress into motivation.
Personalized self-reflection widgets and a motivation board reinforce progress with visuals, photos, and quotes.
Why It Works?
By providing personalized habit replacements and tailored recovery tasks, Fumo helps users take the first step toward healthier choices…
and with real-time relapse analysis and coping strategies, users always have a support system to fall back on.
Fumo turns quitting from overwhelming into a guided, sustainable journey.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Why Young Adults?
Our primary users are young adults aged 18-24, who are particularly vulnerable to peer pressure and social influences. They often start vaping due to its perceived trendiness and face challenges when trying to quit. These users are typically at the early stages of addiction and require tailored support to navigate the complexities of quitting.
DESK RESEARCH
Laying the Foundation: Understanding the Scope of Vaping Addiction
Considering, addiction in general is a sensitive issue and very deeply rooted in human behaviour, we knew from the beginning we had to get a lot of details right to understand how this psychology works.
This led me to literature review to understand to ascertain the prevalence and causes of vaping among individuals. We began by gathering factual data to validate whether this was a localized concern or a widespread epidemic. This foundational step was crucial for guiding the subsequent stages of our user-centric design process and give us a direction.
IT WAS REVEALED THAT
2.1 million
youth currently use e-cigarettes
with
1 in 4
using them daily
Reasons behind Vaping
Trendy & Cool
Fear of Missing Out
Peer Pressure
Enticing Flavours
False Belief that E-Cigarettes are Harmless
This is an even larger issue than it looks because this addiction acts as gateway to marijuana consumption and also impacts the developing brain by affecting focus and memory.
BUT THEN
research revealed a pivotal insight
The majority of youth e-cigarette users want to and struggle to quit
63.9 %
of students who currently used e-cigarettes reported wanting to quit
This begs two questions:
1. What are the key motivations and behavioural patterns that drive young adults to vape?
2. What barriers make quitting difficult, and what strategies do users rely on to cope?
OBSERVATIONS AND ETHNOGRAPHY
Understanding the Habit
OBSERVATIONS
To better understand user behavior, we conducted 8 naturalistic observation sessions of vape shops, strangers in our vicinity, and shadowing sessions with friends who vape.
ETHNOGRAPHY
Ethnographic research helped us explore the deeper motivations behind vaping addiction.
However, we faced a challenge, interpretation bias. Interpreting behaviors from our own perspective risked leading to biased conclusions.
To counter this, we sought to validate our observations through interviews, ensuring that insights were grounded in real user experiences rather than assumptions. This approach kept our design decisions meaningful and unbiased.
USER INTERVIEWS
Beyond Surface Behaviours
After observing vaping behaviors in the real world, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 8 users, uncovering the emotions, struggles, and motivations driving their addiction.
These conversations not only validated our observation insights but revealed the hidden barriers to quitting, offering deeper insights into what truly helps users break free.
“The first 48 hours of quitting were the toughest. I had extreme cravings and mood swings, and I relapsed multiple times.
“I tried quitting cold turkey, but the cravings were too intense. I had to replace vaping with nicotine gums, cold showers and running.”
“I wish there was a way to recover from relapses instead of feeling like I had to start over from scratch.”
“I never realized I vaped at the same times every day, after meals, during breaks, or when stressed. It’s like my brain is on autopilot.”
“Seeing my progress on a quitting app kept me going, but most apps are boring.”
“I used to love painting and running, but vaping took over. Now, I barely do the things that once made me happy.”
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Where Do Existing Apps Fail?
Many users turned to quitting apps to break free from vaping, but their experiences were mixed. Some found motivation in tracking their progress, while others felt the apps lacked engagement and real support.
To bridge this gap, we analyzed 6 such apps to uncover what works, what doesn’t, and where the real opportunities lie.
COMPETITORS
I am Sober
Kwit
No Vape
Escape the Vape
Quit Vaping
Quuit
Pros
-
Progress Tracking
-
Puff Count
-
Vape Usage
-
Educational Resources
-
Also Caters to Other Types of Addictions
-
Motivations & Reminders
Cons
-
Lack of Evidence-Based Practices
-
No intuitiveness
-
Lack of Support Resources
-
Overlooks Cravings and Triggers
-
Does not Take in Account Relapse
-
No Emergency Support
-
No Personalization
THEMATIC ANALYSIS + EMPATHY MAPPING
Turning Research into Action
After gathering all this data, it was time to identify major common themes.
We first performed internal coding individually
then coding within the team to spot emerging patterns
To see this addiction through the user's eyes, I performed empathy mapping
Constant Cravings
Desire to Quit
Frustration with relapses
Loneliness and Isolation
Hope for Recovery
Seeking Alternatives
"I want to quit vaping, but I don't know how to"
Says
"I feel guilty every time I give into my cravings"
Experience Mood Swings and Irritability when trying to Quit
Frequently Visits Vape Shops and Online Stores
Conceal Vaping from Friends and Family
Fear
Isolation
Desire for Change
"I wish I could find healthier ways to cope with stress"
Shame
Thinks
Does
Feels
Frustration
Through these exercises, the key takeways were
1
Vaping is deeply intertwined with every user’s daily routines, social and emotional experiences. Many users weren’t just quitting nicotine, they were trying to break habits that had become a source of comfort and identity.
Opportunity
Users need a system that understands their unique behaviour patterns and creates personalized schedules for triggering cues and rewarding behaviours. The system should adapt to individual preferences and habits and even focus on the first 48 hours.
2
Users see relapse as a failure rather than part of the quitting journey. This shame cycle discouraged them from trying again, making long-term quitting even harder.
Opportunity
Users should have access to tailored support during challenging moments of relapse. This support should be non-judgmental and empathetic, aiming to normalize relapses as part of the recovery journey.
3
Users felt more motivated to quit when they could see tangible benefits and see their progress in real terms.
Opportunity
Users should be able to visualize and stay motivated during their entire quitting journey.
These insights pointed us to a core issue
Vaping isn’t just a nicotine addiction, it is a behavioural loop tied to routine, emotions, and identity.
It isn’t something that can be left behind in a day. Users will often face setbacks, but they need support and willpower in a sustainable way to build the discipline they require to quit the habit.
This raised a question in our mind like
HMW make quitting vaping feel less overwhelming by providing personalized support that helps users recognize triggers, navigate cravings, and recover from relapses sustainably?
BRAINSTORMING
From Ideas to Impact
We explored 80 unique ideas through three rounds of brainstorming
After narrowing it down to 3 strong solutions by merging and refining them based on social, economic, and technical feasibility
I discovered an opportunity to push the solution further
By merging the best aspects of all 3, I iterated on a unified design concept, one that was more cohesive, impactful, and truly aligned with user needs.
DESIGN CONCEPT
Turning Triggers into Transformation
MVP
Behavioral Science Approach
PERSONALIZED HABIT REPLACEMENT
It helps users identify their unique triggers and swap vape cravings for personally chosen, healthier activities at each step of their quitting journey making it feel natural, not forced.
IDENTIFYING
PERSONAL TRIGGERS
REPLACING WITH A RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY
Our MVP supports users at each step of their quitting journey
Motivation to Continue
Relapse Management
Start of Personalized Habit Replacement Journey
Users are presented with an onboarding questionnaire, where users input details about their triggers, motivations, and vaping-related habits. Utilizing this data, the app guides users in scheduling activities within their daily routines.
When users relapse, the system conducts a relapse assessment along with a weekly assessment, generates a personalized trigger report for awareness, provides support, and reinforces progress, turning setbacks into growth.
A Motivation Board displaying quotes and personal photos that resonate with them helps maintain their motivation as they strive to quit vaping.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Mapping the Flow For Success
WIREFRAMES
Design Exploration #1
We put together wireframes to bring structure to our ideas, but aligning on a shared vision was challenging. To find common ground, we went back to our research, making sure every decision reflected what users actually need at each step of their quitting journey.
We refined our designs by prioritizing essential user needs over information overload, and focused on an MVP-driven approach to create a clear, supportive, and user-centered experience.
USABILITY TESTING + ITERATIONS
Design Exploration #2
Refined the navbar by adding labels and repositioning the icon button for enhanced clarity
Users expressed the need for a persistent activity timer that remains visible when the app is minimized, ensuring seamless tracking and engagement.
To quantitatively measure usability, we conducted a System Usability Scale (SUS) evaluation, collecting responses from 4 participants to gain structured insights into the app’s overall usability.
86.25
SUS Score
99.3%
Confidence Level
These indicates strong user satisfaction and high degree of certainty of these results. These metrics validate FUMO’s effectiveness in delivering an intuitive
and functional experience.
FINAL DESIGN
Bringing It All Together
Onboarding
Home Page | Analytics | Support
Activity Timer
Relapse Management
Heuristic
Evaluation
within the team
4
think-aloud session with users
Heuristic evaluations helped us identify navigation and hierarchy issues early, while think-aloud testing revealed real-time user reactions and unexpected friction points, such as icon misinterpretations.
CONCLUSION
Learnings and Values Gained
Bridging the Gap Between User Actions and Words
What users say doesn’t always match what they do. By combining interviews with real-world observations, I uncovered deeper behavioral patterns, ensuring that design decisions were based on how users interact, not just what they report.
Revisiting Research Aligns Teams and Strengthens Design Decisions
Design isn’t a linear process, revisiting research ensures alignment, validates decisions. It also fosters collaboration, bringing teams onto the same page and ensuring that every solution remains grounded in real user needs.
Focus on the MVP - Solve the Core Problem First
A great product starts with solving the most critical user pain points before adding extra features. Prioritizing the MVP first ensured that we built a solution that was functional, user-centric, and impactful, without unnecessary complexity.
User-Centered Design is More Than Just Research, It’s About Empathy
Understanding the human experience behind user behavior is just as important as identifying usability issues. By focusing on motivations, struggles, and needs, I learned that designing for real impact requires empathy, not just data.