Tomás — AC-03

Age: Early 20s Platform: Android (Galaxy A14, free tier) Status: Active, but with gaps

Who He Is

Tomás is a college student who first heard about the app from his campus counselor, after a panic attack during finals week. He downloaded it the same evening. He's earnest about wanting to change his relationship with his inner critic — he just doesn't always follow through between the high-stress periods that bring him back.

His usage pattern is binge-and-quiet: he'll practice five or six times in a week during midterms or when he receives difficult feedback, then go silent for two or three weeks when life feels more manageable. He's not in denial about the pattern — he just finds it hard to maintain a habit when the urgency isn't there.

He's also red-green colorblind (deuteranopia). He's used to apps that assume everyone sees color the same way, and he's used to adjusting. But he appreciates when he doesn't have to.

How He Uses the App

Tomás's most consistent entry point is the Compassion Break. It's fast, it doesn't require setup, and it works in the moment — which is the only moment he tends to reach for the app. He's tried the journal a few times (8 entries, mostly clustered around midterm week), but it feels like extra effort on his busier days.

His self-criticism scores peak on Sunday evenings, which he's noticed himself. "That's when the week I didn't do starts hitting," he said once. He hasn't yet connected that pattern to proactive practice — but the data is there if he looks.

He can't justify a subscription on a student budget. He finds the ads on the Home screen tolerable, as long as they never interrupt a practice — and they don't.

What He Needs from the App

• Zero friction for the Compassion Break. On a hard day, he needs the practice one or two taps away. Any extra navigation reduces the chance he follows through.
• Accessible color design. Mood trend charts and habit calendar must convey information through shape, label, or pattern — not color alone. Red-green distinctions that rely purely on hue are invisible to him.
• Reminders that make it past Android's battery optimizer. On his Galaxy A14, background apps are aggressively limited. The app's local notification system needs to work reliably on mid-range Android hardware.
• No ads during practice. That boundary is the one that would break trust if violated.

Design Implications

Tomás is the primary test case for accessibility conformance on Android. His deuteranopia means every data visualization must be readable without color alone. His device — a Galaxy A14 with Android's Snapdragon 400-series restrictions — is a meaningful benchmark for performance and notification reliability.

His sporadic usage also raises a question the app should eventually answer: can a gentle, non-judgmental nudge (not a guilt-laden streak counter) help bridge the gap between his active periods and quiet ones? The habit calendar and weekly goal features are available to him — he just hasn't explored them yet.

Current State

• Practices completed: 14 Compassion Breaks, 3 library practices
• Journal entries: 8 (clustered around midterm weeks)
• Streak: 2 days (current run after a 3-week gap)
• Subscription: Free
• Device: Android Galaxy A14
• Accessibility: Red-green colorblind (deuteranopia)