Avoid this
- Trying to redesign the entire app
- Choosing a problem that is too vague
- Making the redesign prettier but not more useful
High school project idea · Technology & AI
Redesign an App You Use Every Day
Improve one frustrating part of an app you already know well.
Great product designers notice small problems and turn them into better experiences.
Original Compass project by Davisville LabsReviewed August 2026Goal real work, evidence, and reflectionEditorial standards →
Why this project matters
Learn by doing something real.
Most students use apps constantly, but few learn how digital products are actually designed. This project helps students think like product designers by noticing friction, understanding users, and creating a better version of something familiar.
What you will create
Your project plan
Use these deliverables as milestones for Redesign an App You Use Every Day. Adapt the details to your interests, available time, and real-world opportunities.
- 01
Choose one app problem
Pick one specific part of an app that feels confusing, annoying, slow, or poorly designed.
- 02
Study the current experience
Take screenshots, describe the user's goal, and explain where the current design breaks down.
- 03
Sketch better options
Create two or three possible redesigns using paper sketches, wireframes, or a simple design tool.
- 04
Test your redesign
Show your redesign to at least three people and ask what feels clearer, better, or still confusing.
- 05
Publish the case study
Create a polished portfolio page that explains the problem, process, feedback, and final redesign.
Make the work stronger
What separates a finished project from a meaningful one?
For Redesign an App You Use Every Day, use these checkpoints to protect the quality of the work without turning the project into a performance for admissions.
Evidence that it is working
- One app experience was selected
- The user problem was clearly defined
- At least two redesign options were created
If you want to go further
- Create a clickable prototype
- Record a short walkthrough video
Skills you can build
Capabilities that travel beyond this project.
Design ThinkingUser ResearchVisual CommunicationIterationProduct Analysis
College application value
Use the project as evidence, not decoration.
Demonstrates observation, creativity, design thinking, communication, initiative, and user-centered problem solving.
CreativityInitiativeEmpathyProblem SolvingCommunication
The goal of Redesign an App You Use Every Day is not to manufacture an impressive activity. Do real work, keep evidence of the process, and reflect honestly on what changed.
Related college majors
Which fields connect to this work?
Use Redesign an App You Use Every Day as a clue, then open a related major guide to compare coursework, career directions, reality checks, and other ways to test the field.
How this guide was made
Read editorial standards →Redesign an App You Use Every Day is an original Compass educational starting point designed around real work, visible evidence, feedback, and reflection. It is not an admissions guarantee.
Ready to build it?
Try this project in Compass