Stash: A Dynamic Library

to Launch Ideas into Action

Personal Project

Summer 2025

We all jot down ideas on-the-go—in Notes, Notion, Google Docs, sticky notes—only to watch them pile into a forgotten “idea graveyard.”

For this project, I focused heavily on user research and needs alignment for a common problem normalized out of habit. I designed a playful solution to idea storage and retrieval, using a combination of AI assistance and pure, plain convenience, that fits perfectly around people's existing workflows.

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CONTEXT

Sole designer

5 weeks (summer 2025)

Ongoing design & development

TOOLS

Figma

Illustrator

SKILLS

User Research

Feature Ideation

Interaction & Motion Design

Prototyping

Mobile App Design

Product Strategy

RESEARCH

Competitor Research

I took a deep SWOT dive into 12 products dedicated to quick note-taking and productivity, with 4 standouts:

Show details

Notion

Powerful, but overwhelming

Apple Notes

Convenient, but messy

Google Keep

Lightweight, but lacks hierarchy

Things 3

Clean interface, but limited accessibility

User Interviews

I conducted 8 in-depth interviews that captured a wide range of professions and organization styles. Some were meticulous planners, others were more on the disorganized side. Despite these differences, through targeted follow-ups, I uncovered recurring patterns and pain points:

Highly Personalized Workflows

"I have a structured way of organizing my ideas, but it's a little elaborate"

  • 7/8 users have a "good enough but not the best" way of handling ideas established by habit

  • 8/8 users maintain separate workflows for personal and work ideas

Fragmented Capture Systems

"I use Notion, Notes, a Google Doc — honestly whichever one is open at the time — and just hope I remember"

  • 7/8 users record ideas across multiple tools (apps, docs, screenshots, physical planners)

  • 5/8 users say tool choice is based on what’s most convenient in the moment

Producing an Idea Graveyard

"Gosh, at this point I have so many notes that just the thought of organizing them stresses me out"

  • 6/8 users have a large, innavigable collection of ideas that they don't plan to organize

Easily-Forgotten Ideas

"I do wonder — how many ideas have I had that I've kind of just forgotten?"

  • 7/8 users have lost ideas because of scattered storage and poor recall systems

Identifying a Common Thread

While organization styles vary widely across individuals, they all follow the same general flow, which requires a lot of active recall, especially for ideas that need deeper development.

Did I have an idea about this today?

Did I have a similar idea already?

Where did I put this idea?

Was I going to come back to this idea later?

How was I going to use this idea?

The Gap

I tested existing note-taking products with a subset of interviewees on two metrics:

  • Capture speed: How fast from idea, to app open, to first saved note.

  • Retrieval: How long until a user could remember and find a previously saved idea.

I found that while capture speed is extremely fast, the retrieval problem is universal — users either forgot where an idea was stored, or couldn’t resurface it at the right moment.

This gap between fast capture and effective retrieval defines the opportunity space: not just storing ideas, but ensuring they remain actionable, discoverable, and alive.

The gap between fast capture and effective retrieval defines the opportunity space: not just storing ideas, but ensuring they remain actionable, discoverable, and alive.

CORE PRINCIPLES

Defining Scope: What Stash is and isn't

Stash is a dynamic, temporary library designed for your ideas to go in and out.

Stash & Release

Quick-capture on mobile & desktop, then transfer to project management tools

Effortless organization

Lightweight tagging and stress-free, continuous idea organization

No more "idea graveyard"

Temporarily hide ideas, and easily retrieve them when you're ready

Built around your workflow

Context switching designed for speed, delight, familiarity

What Stash isn't:

  • An archive of 2,837 ideas (yes, that's my Notes app)

  • Project planning, second brain, todo lists — there are other apps for that

Device Context Shapes the Flow

While the goal is to offer seamless sync, I designed two separate core user journeys:

Mobile

Capture on-the-go, lightweight review

Optimized for immediacy: one-tap stash, quick tags, reminders to revisit

Desktop

Capture, but mainly release

Optimized for retrieval and action: context-aware nudges, export into productivity tools.

ITERATIVE DESIGN

Usability Testing

I ran 4 usability tests to validate early wireframes. Here are two of many examples!

I then ran more usability tests with my hi-fidelity prototypes to guide future iterations. Feedback led to key simplifications:

  • Removed time-tuned tasks (users found it confusing; too much like todo-apps)

  • Hid the AI toggle in settings (not something users switch often)

  • Replaced nested projects & tags with lightweight tags

  • Reframed the discard (originally a left swipe) into “restash” after users feared accidental loss.

  • Designed designed minimally invasive nudges (end-of-day reviews, revived ideas, resurfacing old sparks) that encourage action without overwhelming to address concerns of idea pile-ups

FEATURE WALKTHROUGH

Work-Life Separation

User interviews revealed that switching between personal and work contexts is crucial.

The work/personal toggle can be turned off in settings.

Design emphasis

Figma

Create a clear visual distinction between separate modes, with different theming options for customization.

Unified Quick-Capture

Ideas can strike anywhere—during a walk, deep work, or online browsing.

Features

Figma

  • Capture everywhere: Mobile widgets + (movable) desktop web extension

  • Flexible input: text, voice, images, sketches

  • Context preservation: Auto-save metadata (timestamp, source site, project) on desktop

Design emphasis

Figma

Minimal UI + frictionless entry points to reduce cognitive interruption.

AI Tagging & Refinements

AI Tagging & Refinements

Reduce organization burden and improve retrieval through lightweight AI assistance.

Features

Figma

  • Smart tagging: Based on idea content and source platform

  • Duplicate idea recognition: Detects related ideas and suggests merging for clarity

  • Auto-generated titles: Eliminate "untitled" entries

Design emphasis

Figma

Ensure AI suggestions feel helpful but not intrusive (ex: tap to accept inline)

Making Reviewing Ideas Fun

Making Reviewing Ideas Fun

Keep your current stash (active ideas) light by reviewing them daily.

Features

Figma

  • Swipe to act:

    • Keep in Stash (left): keep important ideas top of mind

    • Bury (down): delay longer-term ideas for when you're ready

    • Release (right): mark an idea as used

  • Smart nudges: The app will nudge to bury an idea if it hasn't been acted on in a while, or if the current stash gets large.

Design emphasis

Figma

Borrowed patterns from consumer apps (dating, photo clearing apps) and incorporated animations to keep engagement high.

Resurface Old Ideas

Help users reconnect with buried sparks at the right time, without having to recall it themselves.

Features

Figma

  • Revive screen: nudges users to revisit long-buried ideas

  • Search integration: buried ideas remain discoverable

Design emphasis

Figma

Incorporating ways to ensure buried ideas are simply inactive, not forgotten.

Bridging Capture and Action

Directly transfer ideas needing more development to preferred tools based on their workflow.

Features

Figma

  • Contextual resurfacing: Ideas (even buried ones) reappear when working on related projects

  • Action Prompts: Suggestions for next steps based on learned patterns

  • Activity log: See where your released ideas ended up so you don't lose track of them

Design emphasis

Figma

Reducing friction between idea capture and execution, and making it feel rewarding.

Where do tasks fit in?

In Stash, tasks are intentionally lightweight — quick, actionable items always tied to an idea. They can be prioritized but never over-engineered. If tasks remain when an idea is “released,” users can choose to override.

WHY STASH STANDS OUT

A Playful Approach to Make Ideas Actionable

A Playful Approach to Make Ideas Actionable

Most note-taking apps stop at storage. Stash focuses on the entire lifecycle of ideas, from capture → refine → resurface → act. It’s not about hoarding notes or keeping a long to-do list.

I also created idea statuses (stashed, buried, revived, released) as a fun callback to the "idea graveyard".

I also plan on incorporating fun features into the app, like streaks, and a "stash wrapped" —answering curiosities like "when and where do I have the most ideas?" in a weekly idea digest.

CONCLUSIONS

Reflection

RESULTS

  • 80% of testers said they’d “definitely incorporate Stash” into their daily routine

  • Users described it as “fun enough to use day-to-day, with a perfect amount of structure"

  • 80% of testers said they’d “definitely incorporate Stash” into their daily routine

  • Users described it as “fun enough to use day-to-day, with a perfect amount of structure"

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been chasing the perfect idea-tracking app. During user interviews, I realized that while many people already have a habit around capturing ideas, habit doesn’t always mean satisfaction.

Many of my past projects have been 0→1—building something completely new. This time, I wanted to push a workflow that was already “good enough” into something delightful and indispensable—1→8.

1.

Design for play as much as productivity

A lighthearted interaction can be the difference between abandoned notes and sustained use.

Design for play as much as productivity

2.

Relentless testing matters

Small usability sessions surfaced make-or-break friction points early

Relentless testing matters

3.

Observe real-world use cases

Watching real users—like my mom spending four minutes trying to find an old note—surfaced critical insights. Even brainstorming about Stash itself guided feature priorities.

Observe real-world use cases

4.

Don't reinvent the wheel

I leaned heavily on inspiration from tools like Todoist, Google Keep, and Loom. When something works, it works! The real challenge is knowing when to borrow and when to push beyond.

Don't reinvent the wheel

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About

Play

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About

Play

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Contact