Case study · Progressive web app
Holo·Vie — the game that turns habits into an adventure
A personal development game played in five minutes a day, installable from the browser and usable offline. SeedVision handles its design, release and day-to-day operation.
Engagement period: · Page last reviewed on
Context
Holo·Vie is for anyone who wants to build better habits around sleep, energy, emotions and focus, without pressure or guilt. The journey spans 120 stages across four thirty-day realms — Earth for the body, Water for emotions, Fire for willpower, Air for clarity — with an animal totem, chosen from twelve, travelling alongside the player.
Challenge
A habit app is judged on daily loyalty, not on how rich its screens are. That called for a very short session, instant resumption even with no network, and above all a model that does not punish: a missed day had to break nothing, or the player would be lost at the first slip.
Approach
SeedVision shipped a progressive web app rather than a store application: installable from the browser, with no download and no account to create, and working offline through a service worker. Progress stays on the player's device, which removes the sign-up friction and the collection of personal data in a single move.
Engagement timeline
- — Design and release. Structuring the journey into four realms, designing the five-minute daily loop, building the progressive web app and putting it online.
- — Continuous operation. Monitoring offline availability, checking the install and update cycle on every release, tuning the pace of the quests.
Before and after
Getting to the first session
Before: Download an app, create an account, confirm an address
After: A web address, no mandatory install, no account
A missed day
Before: Streak reset to zero, the player drops out
After: Progress is permanent, and a gentler version is offered on hard days
Personal data
Before: Profile and progress stored server-side
After: Progress kept on the player's own device
Results
- 120 stages structured across four thirty-day realms
- A daily quest calibrated to five minutes: one decision, one gesture, one reflection
- Twelve animal totems, chosen by the player and evolving with their progress
- No account to create: progress stays on the device
- Installable from the browser and playable offline
Technologies and scope
- PWA
- Hors-ligne
- Données sur l'appareil
- Vite
- En production depuis 2025
Engagement period:
What the engagement covers, block by block
- Progressive web app — Install manifest and service worker: the app is added to the Home Screen and starts with no network, bringing it close to a native app without going through a store.
- Daily game loop — One quest a day: a scenario, a decision, a concrete gesture — breathing, tidying, resisting screens — then a short reflection.
- Progression and companions — Four realms of thirty stages and twelve animal totems, reflecting the player's inner state and evolving with them.
What running it demands
- Offline is verified on every release — A badly invalidated service worker serves a stale version forever. The install, update and offline-resume cycle is therefore part of the release check, not of occasional testing.
- This kind of app is measured on return, not on installs — The only indicator that matters is coming back the next day. That is what settled the five-minute session over a richer journey that would be harder to sustain.
- With no account, the backup belongs to the player — Keeping data on the device removes collection but shifts responsibility. That trade-off is owned and stated up front, rather than discovered when changing phones.
Architecture choices, and why
- A progressive web app rather than a store app — No store review, no publication delay, one codebase for every device, and a link that opens straight away. For a five-minute-a-day game, install friction cost more than native gained.
- Progress on the device rather than in a database — No account, therefore no sign-up to get through and no personal data to protect. That choice removes a compliance surface and the drop-off at account creation at the same time.
- A model that does not punish — Progress is permanent and missed days break nothing: that is a design decision, not a setting. It targets the return after a slip, which is exactly where this kind of app usually loses people.
Technical and regulatory milestones
Public, dated facts that constrain the scope.
- — iOS 16.4 opens web notifications to installed web apps. A public milestone of the mobile web, cited here because it governs what a progressive web app can do on iPhone: before that release, an app added to the Home Screen received no web notifications at all.
- — GDPR becomes applicable. A public regulatory milestone. It is cited here because it explains an architectural choice: keeping progress on the device, with no account, is data minimisation taken literally rather than bolted on afterwards.
Questions about this engagement
Do you need an account to play Holo·Vie?
No. The app opens from a web address and progress stays on the player's device. That is what removes both the sign-up step and the collection of personal data.
Why a progressive web app rather than a store application?
For a five-minute-a-day game, install friction costs more than native gains: no store review, no publication delay, one codebase, and a link that opens straight away. The app still installs from the browser and plays offline.
What happens if a player skips a day?
Nothing is lost: progress is permanent, missed days do not break the streak, and a gentler version is offered on hard days. It is a design choice, aimed at the exact moment when this kind of app usually loses people.
Related services
- MLOps industrialisation — 15 to 30 days
- Run & maintenance — Monthly retainer or daily-rate engagements
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- GreenCart — 2025 → present
- KizzyDance — 2018 → present
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Talk about your project
Facing a challenge close to Holo·Vie — write to contact@seedvision.fr — reply within 24 hours.