Token4Change is a mobile app that empowers young people to participate in their communities and share their voices. Users can join events, give feedback, earn tokens, and explore content that inspires real-world action.
Integrity Earth, Vaduz, Liechtenstein
May, 2025
#Mobileapp #Branding #UI/UX #Visual Identity
Integrity.Earth is the visionary organization behind Token4Change, a digital participation platform designed to inspire youth engagement in democratic processes. Their support helped shape the project’s values, structure, and real-world impact.
Token4Change faced a key challenge: designing an engaging and accessible mobile platform that empowers young people to actively participate in shaping their communities. The goal was to create a user-friendly experience that encourages democratic involvement through interactive content like events, quizzes, articles, and feedback tools—while staying true to the project’s values of inclusivity, transparency, and real-world impact. The challenge was to make civic engagement feel fun, meaningful, and intuitive for a young audience without compromising clarity or ease of use.
To create a seamless and engaging experience for Token4Change users, we designed a mobile interface rooted in intuitive UX principles and youth-centered design. The app features a clear and modular structure, allowing users to easily explore events, take quizzes, read articles, and track their engagement through tokens. A vibrant yet accessible visual identity—including friendly illustrations, legible typography, and inclusive iconography—was developed to reflect the project’s democratic values. The navigation is streamlined through a bottom tab bar and thoughtful content hierarchy, encouraging interaction without cognitive overload. This design approach ensures Token4Change is both approachable and empowering for young users eager to make a difference.
UX Research
User Personas & Interviews
We explored the behaviors, motivations, and pain points of teenagers and young adults regarding digital participation and civic engagement. This included direct feedback from youth across different communities to ensure inclusive design.
Competitor Benchmarking
Apps like Duolingo, AHA, LinkedIn, and Habitica were analyzed to identify effective strategies in gamification, user onboarding, and motivation. This helped inform features like token rewards, quizzes, and event discovery.
UX Heuristics & Accessibility Standards
We prioritized simplicity, emotional safety, and ease of navigation. Special attention was given to language clarity, content comprehension, and visual guidance.
Real-World Context
Civic participation goes beyond the screen, so Token4Change connects users to real-life events through maps and calendars. Tokens reward attendance, peer invites, and thoughtful feedback—bridging digital interaction with real-world impact.
Research factors
Behavioral Insights
We investigated how young users interact with educational and civic apps. Research showed that teens often abandon apps that feel too formal, complicated, or patronizing. This insight guided our tone of voice and UX design — making the experience approachable, empowering, and intuitive.
Motivation Mapping
We conducted a series of workshops and surveys to uncover what motivates youth to participate in civic actions. Key drivers included recognition, belonging, and gamified rewards. This led us to design the token system, level tracking, and personalized feedback loops within the app.
Content Comprehension Testing
To ensure article readability and engagement, we tested two versions of articles (simple vs. traditional structure) with teen users. The simplified version with interactive elements (quizzes, tap-to-define) consistently performed better in comprehension and retention.
Cultural & Local Context Research
Liechtenstein’s specific civic landscape informed our content. We reviewed local youth programs, school initiatives, and community events to ensure relevance and authenticity. Token4Change doesn’t just aim to be a generic platform — it’s grounded in the local youth experience.
We A/B tested different illustration styles, fonts, and color palettes. Teens preferred a bold yet friendly aesthetic, with hand-drawn illustrations and clear sans-serif fonts. This confirmed our direction for a warm, inclusive, and non-corporate visual identity.
Using MoSCoW analysis and youth feedback, we prioritized key features like:
Communicate with users
A calendar for real-world events
A feedback system with rewards
Community-driven interaction (likes, invites, reactions)
The visual identity of Token4Change was crafted to reflect youth empowerment, inclusivity, and civic engagement. The brand speaks to teenagers in a voice that is bold, supportive, and friendly — avoiding overly institutional or corporate aesthetics.
The branding was designed to build trust with young users, while maintaining clarity and professionalism for educators and stakeholders. Every visual element was tested to ensure it resonates with the target group and aligns with the project’s core democratic values.
We developed a flexible brand system including:
Modern, approachable logotype
Vibrant color palette symbolizing energy, change, and diversity
Illustrations to add warmth and relatability
Clean typography system that enhances readability across devices
The Token4Change mobile app was designed with a human-centered approach, focusing on creating a meaningful, intuitive, and motivating experience for young users in Liechtenstein. The primary challenge was to craft an experience that educates and empowers teenagers to engage with democratic values—without making it feel like a chore or a classroom lesson.
We began by mapping the needs, motivations, and digital habits of the target audience—young people aged 13–18. Research showed that this group responds well to interactive, gamified content and values autonomy and authenticity. Based on these insights, we created a UX flow that puts the user in control of their journey:
User Flow
User Interface Design
The Token4Change app’s user interface was crafted to be visually engaging, intuitive, and inclusive—designed specifically for teenagers and young adults in Liechtenstein. The goal was to create a space where civic engagement feels fun, accessible, and rewarding.
Visual Language
The Token4Change app features a lively and expressive design language, intentionally crafted to resonate with young users. The interface is rich in visual elements, making the experience feel dynamic and engaging. While the design is visually busy, it's never chaotic—each element serves a clear purpose and contributes to a unified system that supports user flow and interaction.
Illustration Style
Custom illustrations were developed to reflect inclusivity, youthful energy, and positive action. The playful yet meaningful illustrations also help explain features and increase engagement without relying solely on text.
Token Gamification Elements
UI components such as token counters, progress bars, and badge icons are integrated into the layout without distraction, keeping users motivated and reinforcing a sense of achievement.
Accessibility
High-contrast colors, large tap targets, and a clear layout structure ensure the app is accessible for users with varying needs. We also considered future support for screen readers and multilingual toggling.
UI kit
Grid system
Wireframing
Prototyping
Promo video
