5AM Club – The Community App
An app that helps you build habit to rise early
This was a self-initiated project where I led the UI/UX design, and strategy for the 5AM Club App — The core idea was to turn a difficult personal goal — waking up early — into a social movement powered by progress tracking, rewards, penalties, and peer support.
Timeline
2 Weeks
Role
Visual Design
UI & UX Design
Team
1 Designer & 2 Engineers
Date
January 2023
Problem:
Most people want to wake up early — but motivation dies quickly when it’s a solo journey. The typical alarm clock isn’t enough. People need accountability, inspiration, and a sense of belonging to sustain this habit.
So we asked:
How might we make the act of waking up at 5:00 a.m. feel exciting, social, and worth showing up for — every single day?
Outcome:
We designed and built a community-based habit tracking app to help users wake up at 5:00 a.m. consistently through gamified rewards, social accountability, and personalized alarms.
User research
To understand the challenges of waking up early and what motivates people to stick with it, we interviewed individuals trying to build a 5:00 a.m. routine.
01
Observation Study
We joined online communities and groups to see how people stay motivated, behave in group settings, and rely on social support to maintain the 5AM habit.
02
8 Structured User Interviews
We conducted 8 structured interviews, including early risers, habit strugglers, and beginners. Our goal was to understand their challenges, motivations, and approaches to waking up early.
Feature #1
Wake-up support
People struggled with consistency—snoozing alarms, feeling isolated, and lacking motivation.
We created a daily buddy system that shuffles partners every morning, offering mutual wake-up support. It builds consistency, reduces snoozing, and helps members form deeper, motivating connections within the community.
Feature #2
Find your tribe
People wanted to meet like-minded locals but couldn’t easily find or connect with them.
We built a dynamic 5AM Network with filters by location and interests. It helps members discover like-minded people, encourages real-life meetups, and strengthens bonds across the broader 5AM community.
Feature #3
Bharma Coins
Many lost motivation without visible progress or rewards, making it harder to stay consistent and engaged.
We introduced Bharma Coins—earned by waking up daily. They track consistency, unlock rewards, and boost motivation. This gamified system keeps members engaged and excited to show up every morning.
Feature #4
AI alarm
Many found alarms dull and uninspiring, making it harder to wake up energized or start the day with purpose.
We created a personalized AI alarm that greets members with curated 1-minute bites—like Zen stories, Gita wisdom, or fun facts—turning each wake-up into an inspiring, energizing start to the day.
Positive feedback
and future requests
After an early version of the app, I invited users to test the interface and share feedback. Many didn’t realize certain icons were clickable, others pointed out issues with text balance and inconsistent visuals. I used this feedback to do more iteration.
Outcomes and
metrics
Since its initial launch in 2021, my tool has had 4.2K new users and 1.3k sessions. I have continued to update the app for every new year, which is highlighted by the spikes in usage in the fall.
5AM Club – The Community App
An app that helps you build habit to rise early
This was a self-initiated project where I led the UI/UX design, and strategy for the 5AM Club App — The core idea was to turn a difficult personal goal — waking up early — into a social movement powered by progress tracking, rewards, penalties, and peer support.
Timeline
2 Weeks
Role
Visual Design
UI & UX Design
Team
1 Designer & 2 Engineers
Date
January 2023
Problem:
Most people want to wake up early — but motivation dies quickly when it’s a solo journey. The typical alarm clock isn’t enough. People need accountability, inspiration, and a sense of belonging to sustain this habit.
So we asked:
How might we make the act of waking up at 5:00 a.m. feel exciting, social, and worth showing up for — every single day?
Outcome:
We designed and built a community-based habit tracking app to help users wake up at 5:00 a.m. consistently through gamified rewards, social accountability, and personalized alarms.
User research
To understand the challenges of waking up early and what motivates people to stick with it, we interviewed individuals trying to build a 5:00 a.m. routine.
01
Observation Study
We joined online communities and groups to see how people stay motivated, behave in group settings, and rely on social support to maintain the 5AM habit.
02
8 Structured User Interviews
We conducted 8 structured interviews, including early risers, habit strugglers, and beginners. Our goal was to understand their challenges, motivations, and approaches to waking up early.
Feature #1
Wake-up support
People struggled with consistency—snoozing alarms, feeling isolated, and lacking motivation.
We created a daily buddy system that shuffles partners every morning, offering mutual wake-up support. It builds consistency, reduces snoozing, and helps members form deeper, motivating connections within the community.
Feature #2
Find your tribe
People wanted to meet like-minded locals but couldn’t easily find or connect with them.
We built a dynamic 5AM Network with filters by location and interests. It helps members discover like-minded people, encourages real-life meetups, and strengthens bonds across the broader 5AM community.
Feature #3
Bharma Coins
Many lost motivation without visible progress or rewards, making it harder to stay consistent and engaged.
We introduced Bharma Coins—earned by waking up daily. They track consistency, unlock rewards, and boost motivation. This gamified system keeps members engaged and excited to show up every morning.
Feature #4
AI alarm
Many found alarms dull and uninspiring, making it harder to wake up energized or start the day with purpose.
We created a personalized AI alarm that greets members with curated 1-minute bites—like Zen stories, Gita wisdom, or fun facts—turning each wake-up into an inspiring, energizing start to the day.
Positive feedback
and future requests
After an early version of the app, I invited users to test the interface and share feedback. Many didn’t realize certain icons were clickable, others pointed out issues with text balance and inconsistent visuals. I used this feedback to do more iteration.
Outcomes and
metrics
Since its initial launch in 2021, my tool has had 539 new users and 1.3k sessions. I have continued to update the site for every new year, which is highlighted by the spikes in usage in the fall.
5AM Club – The Community App
An app that helps you build habit to rise early
This was a self-initiated project where I led the UI/UX design, and strategy for the 5AM Club App — The core idea was to turn a difficult personal goal — waking up early — into a social movement powered by progress tracking, rewards, penalties, and peer support.
Timeline
2 Weeks
Role
Visual Design
UI & UX Design
Team
1 Designer & 2 Engineers
Date
January 2023
Problem:
Most people want to wake up early — but motivation dies quickly when it’s a solo journey. The typical alarm clock isn’t enough. People need accountability, inspiration, and a sense of belonging to sustain this habit.
So we asked:
How might we make the act of waking up at 5:00 a.m. feel exciting, social, and worth showing up for — every single day?
Outcome:
We designed and built a community-based habit tracking app to help users wake up at 5:00 a.m. consistently through gamified rewards, social accountability, and personalized alarms.
User research
To understand the challenges of waking up early and what motivates people to stick with it, we interviewed individuals trying to build a 5:00 a.m. routine.
01
Observation Study
We joined online communities and groups to see how people stay motivated, behave in group settings, and rely on social support to maintain the 5AM habit.
02
8 Structured User Interviews
We conducted 8 structured interviews, including early risers, habit strugglers, and beginners. Our goal was to understand their challenges, motivations, and approaches to waking up early.
Feature #1
Wake-up support
People struggled with consistency—snoozing alarms, feeling isolated, and lacking motivation.
We created a daily buddy system that shuffles partners every morning, offering mutual wake-up support. It builds consistency, reduces snoozing, and helps members form deeper, motivating connections within the community.
Feature #2
Find your tribe
People wanted to meet like-minded locals but couldn’t easily find or connect with them.
We built a dynamic 5AM Network with filters by location and interests. It helps members discover like-minded people, encourages real-life meetups, and strengthens bonds across the broader 5AM community.
Feature #3
Bharma Coins
Many lost motivation without visible progress or rewards, making it harder to stay consistent and engaged.
We introduced Bharma Coins—earned by waking up daily. They track consistency, unlock rewards, and boost motivation. This gamified system keeps members engaged and excited to show up every morning.
Feature #4
AI alarm
Many found alarms dull and uninspiring, making it harder to wake up energized or start the day with purpose.
We created a personalized AI alarm that greets members with curated 1-minute bites—like Zen stories, Gita wisdom, or fun facts—turning each wake-up into an inspiring, energizing start to the day.
Positive feedback
and future requests
After an early version of the app, I invited users to test the interface and share feedback. Many didn’t realize certain icons were clickable, others pointed out issues with text balance and inconsistent visuals. I used this feedback to do more iteration.
Outcomes and
metrics
Since its initial launch in 2021, my tool has had 539 new users and 1.3k sessions. I have continued to update the site for every new year, which is highlighted by the spikes in usage in the fall.