HABITRAIL

A RUBRIC-3 PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

ASHISH KUMAR AGRAHARI (22BCA11203) ,VIVEK

GAUR (22BCA11139), ASHISH THAKUR (22BCA11131)

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

IN

UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF COMPUTING

CHANDIGARH UNIVERSITY
September, 2024
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The satisfaction that accompanies the successful completion of any task would be
incomplete without the mention of people whose ceaseless cooperation made it
possible, whose constant guidance and encouragement crown all efforts with
success. On the submission of our minor project report on “ HABITRAIL ”, we
would like to extend our gratitude and sincere thanks to our supervisor ANIKA
GARG , Department of Computer Applications for his constant motivation and
support. We truly appreciate and value her esteemed guidance and encouragement
from the beginning to the end of this minor project report. I am indebted to him for
having helped us shape the problem and providing insights towards the solution. I
want to thank my teacher ANIKA GARG for providing a solid background for our
studies and research thereafter. I am grateful to my supervisor for the guidance,
inspiration and constructive suggestions that were helpful in the preparation of this
project and its successful completion.

He has been a great source of inspiration to me and I thank him from the bottom of
my heart. Above all, I would like to thank all my friends whose direct and indirect
support helped me in the last month to go ahead with my Thesis. The thesis would
have been impossible without their perpetual moral support.

ASHISH KUMAR AGRAHARI (22BCA11203),

ASHISH THAKUR (22BCA11131),

VIVEK GAUR (22BCA11139).

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 TABLE OF CONTENT
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………..05

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………06
1.1. Overview of Habitrail 06

1.2. Identification of Problem 06

1.3. Importance of Habit Building in Achieving Goals 07

CHAPTER 2.PROGFRESS RELATIVE TO INITIAL PLAN …………………………..08

2.1. Initial Plan 08

2.2. Current Progress 09

2.3. Comparison to Initial Plan 09

CHAPTER 3.PRELIMINARY RESULTS OR PROTOTYPE ……………………....10

3.1. User Authentication 10
3.2. Goal Creation and Habit Tracking 11
3.3. Progress Visualization 11
3.4. User Interface 11

CHAPTER 4.METHODOLOGY REFINEMENT………………….……………….............12

4.1. Shortened Sprint Cycles 12
4.2. Automated Testing 12
4.3. User Feedback Integration 12
4.4. Code Refactoring and Scalability 13

CHAPTER 5.CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED AND SOLUTIONS…………………14

5.1. Google OAuth Authentication 14

5.2. Data Synchronization 14

5.3. Mobile User Interface 15

5.4. Push Notification And Remainder 15

CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSION………………………………………………….16

REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………. 20
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ABSTRACT
The "Habit Builder for Success" project is a web-based platform designed to address
the challenges students face in developing and maintaining habits that are crucial for
academic and personal success. Recognizing the importance of consistent behavior
in achieving long-term goals, this project integrates habit tracking, goal setting, and
progress monitoring into a single, user-friendly interface. The platform is
specifically tailored to meet the needs of students, offering tools that help them
establish productive routines, stay motivated, and track their progress over time.

One of the key features of the platform is its ability to align daily habits with
broader academic and personal goals. Students can set both short-term and long-
term goals, break them down into manageable habits, and track their adherence to
these habits on a daily or weekly basis. The platform provides visual progress
indicators, such as charts and graphs, to help students see their achievements and
stay motivated. Additionally, personalized tips and reminders are generated based on
individual user behavior, offering tailored advice to keep students on track.

The project leverages modern web technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript,
PHP, and MySQL, to create a seamless and interactive user experience. The use of a
relational database ensures efficient data management and retrieval, allowing
students to access their progress history and make informed decisions about their
habits and goals.

Overall, the "Habit Builder for Success" project aims to empower students by
providing a structured, goal-oriented approach to habit formation. By addressing the
specific challenges students face in maintaining consistency, the platform serves as a
valuable tool in helping them achieve their academic and personal aspirations.
Through its innovative design and focus on user engagement, the project seeks to
make a significant impact on student success and well-being.
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CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview of Habitrail:

Habitrail is a digital platform designed to help individuals build and sustain positive
habits that align with their personal and professional goals. In today’s fast-paced
world, many people struggle to maintain consistency in their routines, leading to a gap
between their intentions and actions. Habitrail addresses this challenge by offering a
structured, user-friendly interface that guides users through the habit-building process.
The platform allows users to create custom habits, set reminders, track progress, and
receive insights that motivate them to stay on track.

One of the key features of Habitrail is its customization options, enabling users to
tailor their habit-building journey according to their unique needs and preferences.
Whether it’s adopting a healthier lifestyle, improving productivity, or learning new
skills, Habitrail offers tools and resources to support users in their endeavors. The
platform integrates behavioral science principles, such as habit stacking and positive
reinforcement, to make habit formation easier and more effective.

Additionally, Habitrail fosters a community environment where users can share their
experiences, offer support, and celebrate milestones together. This sense of
community not only enhances motivation but also provides a sense of accountability.
By combining technology, psychology, and social support, Habitrail empowers users
to transform their habits and, ultimately, their lives.

1.2 Identification of Problem :

The primary objective of the Habitrail website is to provide a comprehensive and

interactive platform for habit formation that caters to the diverse needs of its users.
The website aims to serve as a central hub where individuals can design, monitor, and
refine their habits with ease. It is built to guide users through a personalized journey
of self-improvement by offering tailored habit recommendations, detailed analytics,
and motivational content.

Another key objective is to create a supportive community that fosters accountability

and collaboration. The website includes features like group challenges, progress
sharing, and community forums, which encourage users to connect with others who
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have similar goals. This collaborative aspect is crucial in maintaining user engagement
and motivation, as it helps individuals feel less isolated in their habit-building efforts.

Furthermore, the Habitrail website seeks to educate users about the science behind
habit formation. Through articles, videos, and expert advice, the platform provides
valuable insights into how habits work and why they are essential for achieving
personal and professional goals. By offering both practical tools and educational
resources, the website not only helps users build habits but also empowers them with
knowledge that can be applied to various aspects of their lives.

1.3 Importance of Habit Building in Achieving Goals:

Habit building plays a pivotal role in achieving goals because it transforms desired
behaviors into automatic actions, making the pursuit of objectives more manageable
and sustainable. Habits are essentially the building blocks of daily routines, and they
have a profound impact on how we allocate our time, energy, and resources. By
developing positive habits, individuals can create consistent patterns of behavior that
align with their goals, leading to gradual but significant progress over time.

One of the key benefits of habit building is that it reduces the need for constant
motivation and willpower, which are often unreliable and fluctuate over time. Instead,
habits rely on cues and triggers that prompt actions automatically, reducing mental
effort and resistance. For example, establishing a habit of exercising every morning or
dedicating a specific time for reading each day removes the daily decision-making
process, making these actions a natural part of the routine.

Additionally, habits help in overcoming procrastination and enhancing productivity.

By breaking down larger goals into smaller, actionable habits, individuals can make
steady progress without feeling overwhelmed. This incremental approach not only
boosts confidence but also provides a clear path to achieving even the most ambitious
goals. Moreover, habits can compound over time, where the benefits of small,
consistent actions accumulate, leading to substantial long-term results. Thus, building
the right habits is crucial for anyone looking to achieve success in their personal or
professional endeavors.
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CHAPTER - 2

Progress Relative to Initial Plan

The initial goal for the Habitrail project was to create a habit-tracking web
application where users could set, track, and manage their goals through a
user-friendly interface, with an emphasis on simplicity, Google
authentication, and data visualization. The project plan outlined the
following core features to be developed within a six-week timeline:

1. User Authentication via Google: Allow users to log in using their Google
accounts for ease of access and secure authentication.

2. Goal Creation and Habit Tracking: Provide users with the ability to set
personalized goals, define how frequently they want to track them (daily,
weekly, etc.), and log their progress daily.

3. Progress Monitoring and Visualization: Include visual tools such as

charts, streak counters, and calendars to allow users to visualize their
progress over time.

4. Notifications: Send reminders to users via notifications to encourage

consistent habit tracking.

Current Progress:

 User Authentication: Completed. Users can log in with their Google

accounts through OAuth 2.0. This feature was developed ahead of
schedule and has been tested for both security and functionality.
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 Goal Creation and Habit Tracking: Substantial progress has been made.
Users can create goals, assign daily tasks, and log their progress. Basic
CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) functionality for habits is
operational. The ability to track completion for each day has been fully
implemented.

 Progress Visualization: Preliminary work has been done. Users can see a
calendar with their daily habit completion marked in green (for completed
habits) and red (for missed habits). However, more advanced progress
monitoring tools, such as weekly trends, habit streak counters, and visual
charts, are still under development.

 Notifications: This feature is not yet complete. Initial research on

integrating Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for sending push
notifications to remind users to update their goals has been conducted, but
implementation is still in progress.

Comparison to the Initial Plan: While most core functionalities are

functional, the project is slightly behind schedule. According to the
original plan, all core features should have been ready by week five, with
week six dedicated to final refinements and testing. However, due to
unforeseen technical challenges (particularly in data synchronization and
front-end design), the notifications feature and some advanced progress
visualization elements are still pending. The project is on track for
completion but may require an additional week for full feature
implementation and testing.
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CHAPTER - 3
Preliminary Results or Prototype
The current Habitrail prototype demonstrates most of the core features,
providing a functional habit-tracking system for users. Below is a more
detailed breakdown of the key features currently implemented:

1. User Authentication:

o Status: Complete and functional. The integration with Google

OAuth 2.0 allows users to log in using their Google accounts. The
system stores tokens securely, with support for refreshing tokens to
ensure a smooth user experience. Users are seamlessly logged in,
and their session persists across page reloads, with proper session
expiration handling.

o Testing: Multiple test users have logged in successfully without

major issues. A few minor bugs were identified during testing,
including token expiration errors, which were resolved by
implementing the refresh token mechanism.

2. Goal Creation and Habit Tracking:

o Status: Fully implemented. Users can set goals such as "Exercise

for 30 minutes daily" or "Read 10 pages of a book every day." Each
goal has customizable frequency settings (e.g., daily, weekly), and
users can mark habits as completed for each day.

o User Experience: The habit-tracking system is easy to use, with a

single-click interface for marking a habit as completed or skipped.
For example, once a user sets a goal, they can access their
dashboard, which shows a list of goals with checkboxes for each
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o day. The user simply checks a box to mark the habit as done for the
day.

o Data Storage: The habit data is stored securely in the database, and
users can retrieve and update it in real-time. This ensures that
progress is saved and can be viewed anytime.

3. Progress Visualization:

o Status: Partially implemented. A simple calendar is available for

users to view their progress. Each day is marked with a green
checkmark for completed habits and a red X for missed habits.
Additionally, users can view a basic progress bar that tracks their
overall completion rate for each habit.

o Planned Features: More advanced features, such as streak counters

(to motivate users to maintain long-running habit streaks) and data
visualization charts (e.g., weekly or monthly completion trends), are
still being developed. These features will help users better
understand their habits and stay motivated.

4. User Interface:

o Status: The interface is responsive and designed to work across

desktop and mobile devices. Early feedback suggests that while the
design is functional, it could be more visually appealing and
intuitive, particularly on mobile devices.

o Usability Testing: Feedback from initial testers indicated that some

elements, such as the habit-tracking buttons, were too small on
mobile screens. This has been addressed by increasing the size of
key UI components and improving the mobile layout.

o
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CHAPTER - 4
3. Methodology Refinement
The development of Habitrail followed an Agile approach, with the
project divided into sprint cycles. Initially, we planned two-week sprints
for each major feature, including authentication, habit tracking, data
visualization, and notifications. However, we identified several areas for
improvement during the development process, leading to key refinements
in our methodology.

Key Refinements:

Shortened Sprint Cycles: Originally, the project was divided into two-
week sprints. However, we found that these cycles were too long, and
critical issues were not being identified early enough. We adjusted the
sprint duration to one week, allowing us to focus on smaller, more
manageable tasks. This change enabled quicker feedback loops and faster
iterations, significantly improving our productivity.

Automated Testing: Initially, manual testing was our primary testing

method, but it became inefficient as the codebase grew. To address this,
we implemented automated tests for key functionalities, including user
authentication, habit creation, and habit tracking. Automated tests helped
catch bugs early in the development process and ensured that core
functionalities were stable throughout different iterations.

User Feedback Integration: Regular feedback from early testers was

crucial in refining the user interface and improving the overall experience.
For example, we received feedback that the progress-tracking feature was
difficult to understand in its initial form. As a result, we simplified the
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interface, added visual cues (e.g., color-coded marks), and improved the
layout for better usability, especially on mobile devices.

Code Refactoring and Scalability: During development, we identified

areas of the code that could be optimized for better performance and
scalability. We refactored the code to improve maintainability, especially
in the user authentication flow and habit tracking logic. By modularizing
the code, we ensured that the platform could easily scale and handle more
complex features in the future.
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CHAPTER - 5
4. Challenges Encountered and Solutions
Throughout the Habitrail project, we faced several challenges related to
both technical implementation and user experience. Below is a detailed
account of these challenges and how we addressed them:

1.Google OAuth Authentication:

o Challenge: Integrating Google OAuth 2.0 presented challenges with

token management, particularly when dealing with token expiration
and refresh tokens. Initially, some users were unexpectedly logged
out after a short period, disrupting their user experience.

o Solution: We researched Google’s OAuth documentation and

integrated the refresh token flow to automatically renew tokens
without requiring the user to log in again. We also enhanced security
by encrypting tokens and storing them securely in cookies, ensuring
that user sessions persisted as intended.

2.Data Synchronization:

o Challenge: We discovered issues with data synchronization across

multiple devices. For example, if a user updated their habit data on a
desktop, the changes would not immediately reflect on their mobile
device.

o Solution: To resolve this, we introduced real-time synchronization

using WebSockets. This ensures that changes made on one device
are instantly reflected on all other connected devices. Additionally,
we optimized the back-end to handle real-time updates more
efficiently, reducing lag and improving the overall user experience.
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3.Mobile User Interface:

o Challenge: Designing an intuitive and responsive mobile interface

was challenging. Early feedback indicated that some UI elements
were difficult to interact with on smaller screens, leading to
frustration among users.

o Solution: We adopted a mobile-first approach, prioritizing

simplicity and ease of use. We increased the size of habit-tracking
buttons, adjusted the layout for better readability, and ensured that
all interactions were easy to perform on mobile devices. These
changes were well-received during subsequent testing.

4.Push Notifications and Reminders:

o Challenge: Implementing push notifications to remind users to track

their habits required integrating Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM).
However, setting up FCM proved more complex than anticipated, as
we had limited experience with push notification services.

o Solution: We spent additional time researching FCM documentation

and tutorials. While this feature is still under development, we have
laid the groundwork for sending browser-based notifications.
Further work is required to refine this feature and ensure
notifications are delivered reliably.
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CHAPTER – 6
CONCLUSION
The Habitrail project has progressed significantly, delivering a functional
habit-tracking platform that aligns with the majority of the initial
objectives. This platform successfully enables users to set personal goals,
track daily habits, and monitor their progress over time. While the project
encountered some challenges along the way, the team’s ability to adapt
and refine both the development methodology and technical approach has
ensured the majority of the core features are now operational.

1. Meeting Core Objectives: The primary goals outlined at the start of

the project, including Google authentication, goal creation, and habit
tracking, have been successfully implemented. These features are fully
functional, allowing users to set personalized goals, log their daily
activities, and track their progress. The initial focus on simplicity and
usability is reflected in the current user interface, which prioritizes ease of
interaction. Users can quickly log in through Google, create new habits,
and check their progress through a responsive interface that adapts well
across desktop and mobile devices.

2. Progress Tracking and Visualization: While the initial data

visualization features, such as a basic calendar view and progress bars,
are functional, additional work is needed to provide users with a more
comprehensive view of their progress. The upcoming streak-tracking
feature and trend analysis tools are expected to enhance the platform’s
value, allowing users to better analyze their habits over time. These
additional features will encourage user engagement and motivation by
offering insights into their long-term performance.
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3. Adaptation to Challenges: Throughout the development process, the

team encountered several technical and design challenges that required a
more flexible and adaptive approach. These challenges included:

 Google Authentication: Although the integration of Google OAuth

presented token management issues initially, the team successfully
resolved these by implementing refresh tokens and encrypted session
storage.

 Data Synchronization: The problem of inconsistent data across multiple

devices was effectively mitigated by implementing real-time data
synchronization through WebSockets, ensuring that users experience
seamless updates across all platforms.

 User Interface Refinements: Early feedback from users helped guide

crucial improvements in the design, particularly for mobile devices,
ensuring a more intuitive and accessible user experience. The adoption of a
mobile-first design approach also ensured that the platform works well
across various device sizes, making it more practical for on-the-go habit
tracking.

4. Methodology Refinements: The team’s initial Agile methodology was

adjusted based on the project’s needs, particularly with the decision to
shorten sprint cycles. The shift from two-week sprints to one-week sprints
facilitated faster feedback loops, allowing for quicker identification of
issues and faster implementation of solutions. This refinement enabled the
team to stay agile and responsive to both technical challenges and user
feedback, improving overall efficiency.

5. Remaining Work: Several key features still need to be developed or

polished before the project can be considered complete:
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 Push Notifications and Reminders: One of the primary features that

remains unfinished is the integration of Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)
for sending notifications. Once completed, this feature will remind users to
update their habits, thereby increasing engagement and habit adherence.

 Advanced Progress Visualization: Additional work is required to

implement habit streaks, weekly summaries, and other trend analysis tools.
These features will provide users with more detailed insights into their
long-term behavior patterns and offer incentives to maintain consistent
habits.

 Final UI Improvements: While the current interface is functional, further

refinements to the visual design will help improve usability, particularly
for mobile users. Polishing the interface for a smoother, more modern
experience will be essential in attracting and retaining users.

6. Lessons Learned: The Habitrail project has been a valuable learning

experience, revealing the importance of flexibility in both project
management and technical implementation. Key lessons learned include:

 The value of shorter sprint cycles to maintain momentum and quickly

address feedback or emerging issues.

 The importance of user feedback in refining the user experience and

improving design decisions, particularly for mobile users.

 The necessity of real-time data handling for apps that rely on continuous
updates across multiple devices, which was effectively addressed through
WebSockets.

7. Future Directions: Looking forward, the immediate focus will be on

completing the remaining features, including push notifications, advanced
data visualization, and final user interface improvements. Once the core
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platform is complete and tested, potential future developments could

include:

 Social Sharing Features: Allowing users to share their goals and progress
with friends or within a community, encouraging social accountability.

 Gamification: Introducing features like rewards, badges, or levels to

incentivize consistent habit tracking and enhance user engagement.

 Integrations with Other Platforms: Expanding the system to integrate

with other services like fitness trackers, calendars, or health apps to offer
users a more comprehensive habit-tracking ecosystem.
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