Gobi — Sobriety App — Case Study

01Overview

Gobi is a gamified sobriety app for the sober-curious, a self-initiated concept exploring how design can support behaviour change and make cutting back feel engaging and human rather than clinical. Team of four; I owned UX/UI across research, flows and final UI.

02Research & the pivot

We started with a hypothesis: young adults (19–29) struggle to find alcohol-free social spaces. To test it, we began with in-context observations across four venues: a mocktail eatery, a non-alcoholic retail space, a traditional bar and a games venue.

In-context observations across four venue types.

Next, we ran a survey to size up the behaviours we’d seen in person:

24.1%thought there were already enough alcohol-free events nearby

37.9%unsure if diverse alcohol-free activities exist nearby

58.6%would attend alcohol-free events if marketed differently

53.3%think alcohol-free drink options could be better

Finally, we interviewed people who had taken the survey, digging into the needs and behaviour patterns behind their answers. Across all three methods, one insight held: awareness of spaces wasn’t the barrier. Staying motivated after the decision was. Many people weren’t quitting; they were cutting back and losing consistency. That is what led us to pivot.

Instead of building another event app, we built what sober-curious people need: motivation that feels fun rather than clinical.

03Meet Gobi

Gobi is a goblin: stubborn, chaotic, not known for personal growth. That’s why it works. It flips the script: Gobi starts “primitive” and evolves as the user takes on challenges, unlocking looks and milestones that celebrate progress.

Progress over perfection — no shame, just steps forward
Gamified feedback loops that reward, not lecture
GobCoins for engagement and reflection; an avatar that grows with you
Measurable wellness metrics: sleep, heart rate, money saved

04Wireframes & testing

The wireframe plan centred on motivational tracking: personalised challenge paths (like “one drink per week”), coaching styles, health metrics and rewards.

Usability tests over Zoom surfaced three findings: users formed a real emotional bond with the mascot (“I feel like I’ve disappointed my Gobi”); journaling built awareness when tied to emotional triggers; and “reflection farming” (short low-quality entries for rewards) was a real exploit we designed against.

05Final UI

With Gobi as the emotional focal point, the interface stays clean and minimal. I explored two profile-page directions; the team chose the compact layout with a visible challenge timeline for at-a-glance progress.

Two directions; the compact timeline won.

The system balances playfulness and structure: pixel-art energy in a legible UI, Poppins for warmth, a purple-forward palette anchored in wellness.

Gobi style guide: typography, colour and components

The Gobi style guide: type, colour, components.

Onboarding & registration.

Questionnaire.

Tracking progress.

Changing outfit.

Explore the Figma prototype →

06Takeaways

Pivot early: letting go of the original direction saved us weeks of building the wrong thing.
Let the character lead: the mascot gave every decision a test: would this feel right for Gobi?
Gamification needs restraint: every mechanic has to answer “what behaviour does this reward?”