Growth Minded: Mobile-First Spiritual Growth Tracking
Designing a mobile and desktop platform to help churches track spiritual growth through comprehensive user research with ministry leaders and congregation members
Role
UX Lead & Research Director
Platform
iOS, Android, Web (Mobile-First)
Focus
Mobile App Research & Design
Empowering churches to measure and nurture spiritual growth
Growth Minded is a mobile and desktop application designed to help churches and ministries track the spiritual growth of their attendees. The platform focuses on key spiritual growth metrics such as Attendees, Small Groups, Outreach, Prayer, Salvation, Spiritual Gifts, and Stories of Faith.
The platform also features a built-in communication tool for following up with individuals, facilitating deeper engagement and community building. My role involved overseeing the design and user research, with particular emphasis on mobile app design to ensure ministry leaders could track and engage with their congregation on-the-go.
Creating a comprehensive spiritual growth platform
Spiritual Growth Tracking
Build a comprehensive system that allowed churches to track key spiritual metrics, from attendance to personal faith stories.
Mobile-First Interface
Design an intuitive mobile experience that ministry leaders could use anywhere, ensuring the tool integrated seamlessly into daily church operations.
Effective Communication
Integrate a communication tool that allowed ministry leaders to follow up with attendees, fostering deeper relationships.
Understanding ministry leaders and mobile usage patterns
The research phase was critical to understanding how ministry leaders work, their mobile usage patterns, and the unique challenges of tracking spiritual growth. I conducted comprehensive research across multiple churches and denominations to ensure the mobile app would meet real-world needs.
Ministry Leader Interviews
Conducted in-depth interviews with 15+ ministry leaders across different church sizes (50–5,000 members) and denominations to understand their workflows, pain points, and mobile usage patterns.
- Daily routines and mobile device usage
- Current tracking methods (spreadsheets, paper, memory)
- Communication preferences with congregation
- Technical comfort levels and constraints
Congregation Member Research
Surveyed and interviewed 50+ church attendees to understand their expectations for spiritual growth tracking and communication preferences from church leadership.
- Privacy concerns about personal spiritual data
- Preferred communication channels and frequency
- Motivation for sharing spiritual milestones
- Mobile app expectations and usage patterns
Mobile Context Research
Observed ministry leaders in their natural environments to understand when, where, and how they would use a mobile app for spiritual growth tracking.
- Usage scenarios: after services, during small groups, at home
- Environmental constraints: lighting, noise, distractions
- Device preferences: phone vs. tablet usage
- Connectivity issues in church buildings
Competitive Analysis
Analyzed existing church management systems and spiritual growth tracking tools to identify gaps in mobile functionality and user experience.
- Evaluated 8 competing platforms for mobile capabilities
- Identified common mobile UX pain points
- Documented best practices for mobile church apps
- Analyzed user reviews for mobile experience insights
Research Insight
Ministry leaders needed to track spiritual growth in the moment—immediately after conversations, during small group meetings, or right after services. This insight drove our mobile-first approach, optimizing for fast data entry and real-time mobile use.
What we learned about mobile spiritual growth tracking
Mobile-first is essential for ministry leaders
“I’m rarely at my desk. I need to track conversations and spiritual milestones right when they happen—after a service, during coffee hour, or at a small group meeting.”
87% of ministry leaders told us they would primarily use the app on their mobile device, with desktop reserved for reporting and analytics. This validated a mobile-first strategy.
Quick data entry is critical
“If it takes more than 30 seconds to log something, I’ll forget to do it. I need to capture information quickly while it’s fresh in my mind.”
Research showed data entry must be possible in under 30 seconds. This shaped quick-add patterns, minimal fields, and thumb-friendly controls.
Privacy and sensitivity are paramount
“Spiritual growth is deeply personal. I need to know that this information is secure and that I control who sees what.”
92% of users wanted clear privacy controls. This required always-visible privacy indicators and granular visibility settings built into the mobile interface.
Visual progress motivates engagement
“I want to see growth over time—not just numbers, but visual representations that show progress and celebrate milestones.”
Charts, progress bars, and milestone markers were strong motivators. Quick visual scanning was especially important on mobile.
Offline functionality is non-negotiable
“Church buildings often have terrible cell reception. I need to be able to use the app even when I don’t have connectivity.”
78% of ministry leaders reported connectivity problems in church environments. Offline-first design became a core requirement.
Translating research insights into mobile-first design
Created detailed user flows specifically for mobile interactions, mapping how ministry leaders move through the app after services, during small groups, and in one-on-one conversations.
- Mapped 12 primary mobile user journeys
- Identified critical paths for rapid data entry
- Designed for one-handed mobile interactions
- Optimized for thumb-friendly tap targets
Developed rough wireframes focused on mobile screen sizes. Tested multiple approaches to quick data entry, navigation patterns, and information hierarchy.
- Created mobile-first wireframes
- Tested three navigation pattern variations
- Explored different quick-add concepts
- Validated IA with users through rapid tests
Conducted usability testing using participants’ actual devices in real-life ministry environments — standing, walking, low-light areas, and noisy halls.
- Tested with 20+ ministry leaders
- Observed usage in church and small-group settings
- Measured task completion times (goal: <30s)
- Resolved mobile-specific friction points
Created polished mobile screens incorporating real-world insights and platform conventions for iOS and Android. Prioritized speed, clarity, and on-the-go usage.
- Platform-friendly layouts for iOS & Android
- Responsive designs across device sizes
- Dark mode for low-light church environments
- Refined spacing and typography for mobile readability
Built interactive mobile prototypes to validate usability, environment constraints, and offline behaviors. Iterated quickly based on feedback.
- Interactive Figma prototypes
- Validated offline data-entry flows
- Tested across multiple device sizes
- Achieved 95% task success rate
Mobile-optimized features driven by research
Quick-Add Functionality
One-tap access to log spiritual milestones, attendance, and interactions.
Designed for under 30-second data entry with smart defaults and minimal fields.
Offline Mode
Full functionality without an internet connection. Data syncs automatically
once connectivity is restored — essential for church buildings with poor signal.
Visual Progress Tracking
Mobile-friendly charts and visuals that highlight spiritual growth trends.
Ideal for quick scanning by busy ministry leaders.
Privacy Controls
Granular privacy settings with clear indicators for who can view what.
Designed to handle highly sensitive spiritual growth information.
In-App Communication
Follow up directly in the app. Messages are context-aware — linked to milestones,
attendance, and personal interactions.
Smart Notifications
Intelligent reminders for follow-ups and milestone celebrations.
Notification settings are configurable to avoid overwhelming users.
Research-driven mobile design delivers measurable results
Mobile-first usage
Average data entry time
Task success rate
User satisfaction score
Ministry Leader Feedback
“This app has transformed how I track spiritual growth. I can log conversations immediately after they happen, and the mobile interface is so intuitive that I don’t even think about it anymore — it just works.”
“The offline functionality is a game-changer. Our church building has terrible cell reception, but I can still use the app during services and small groups. Everything syncs automatically when I get back online.”
Research Validation
Post-launch research confirmed our mobile-first strategy: 87% of users primarily accessed the app on mobile, and
the average data entry time of 28 seconds met the research goal of under 30 seconds. Offline functionality proved essential,
with 65% of users reporting regular use of the app without connectivity.
What this project taught me about mobile app research and design
Context is everything in mobile research
Understanding when, where, and how users interact with a mobile app is essential.
Observing ministry leaders in their actual environments revealed insights that simple interviews could not.
Speed and simplicity trump features
Ministry leaders didn’t want more features — they wanted tasks completed quickly.
The under-30-second data entry requirement became a north star for the entire design process.
Offline functionality is a mobile requirement
Connectivity can’t be assumed, especially in church environments.
Designing for offline-first ensured the app worked reliably everywhere and increased user trust.
Privacy concerns require proactive design
Spiritual growth data is deeply personal.
Privacy controls must be visible, clear, and easy to manage —
especially on mobile where screen space is limited.