Human Centered Design Final Project
How Might We Increase Productivity by Decreasing Screen Time?
🔍 Problem Scope:
The "How Might We" (HMW) statement I am focusing on for my project is: "How might we increase productivity by decreasing screen time?" This question drives my research and proposed solutions around the issue of excessive screen time among undergraduate students and its impact on their productivity, well-being, and academic performance.
Screen time is identified as a key contributor to procrastination, labeled as "brain rot" due to its distracting, involuntary, and time-consuming nature which often feels passive and not wasteful. ThisHMW statement was formulated based on the pressing issue of procrastination linked to excessive screen time. In this sense, as a student, I felt a need to identify the need to explore how this screen time affects undergraduate students' productivity.
🗒️ User Research Insights:
Research Methods:
1) Surveys: Conducted among students and the general public to gather data on screen time durations and its perceived effects on daily life.
2) Personal Documentation: An experiment (Daniela’s Experiment) was set up to compare the effects of screen time with and without DND features on productivity.
1) Surveys: Conducted among students and the general public to gather data on screen time durations and its perceived effects on daily life.
2) Personal Documentation: An experiment (Daniela’s Experiment) was set up to compare the effects of screen time with and without DND features on productivity.
Data Collection:
1) Quantitative data was collected through surveys, assessing the average screen time and evaluating the effectiveness of DND features.
2) Qualitative insights were gathered from personal experiences and case studies to understand the emotional and practical impacts of screen time.
💡Key Insights:
🔺 College-age students in the United States may spend an average of 8–10 hours per day on smartphones. However, only a minority have screen time within the hypothesized 7-10 hours range.
🔺 Excessive screen time is linked to poor academic performance, sleep disturbances, and negative impacts on physical and mental health.
🔺 Default Do Not Disturb (DND) settings were often found to be ineffective in reducing distractions from screen usage.
🔺 Placing phones in an inconvenient location was more effective at reducing screen time than DND features. This insight suggests that physical separation may be more effective than software solutions for some users.
🔺 Users, such as the persona "Sarah", often feel overwhelmed and guilty due to excessive screen time, which impacts their academic productivity.
🚀 Research Synthesis (Customer Journey)
Sarah is visibly distracted and finds it hard to concentrate because her smartphone is lying face up next to her book, tempting her to look at it.
🖼️ Ideation for Initial Prototyping (Lo-Fi)
1. User-Centric Design: My Lo-Fi features a shared study room environment which aligns with the insight that users like Sarah find motivation in collective activities and might benefit from peer influence to manage screen time.
2. Time Management Focus: The display of remaining time and completion percentage is a direct response to the need for better time management tools, as seen in the research findings where users expressed anxiety due to poor time management.
3. Behavioral Reinforcement: The use of avatars and progress bars might be an implementation of behavioral techniques identified as effective in your surveys. This creates a visual representation of progress and commitments.
2. Time Management Focus: The display of remaining time and completion percentage is a direct response to the need for better time management tools, as seen in the research findings where users expressed anxiety due to poor time management.
3. Behavioral Reinforcement: The use of avatars and progress bars might be an implementation of behavioral techniques identified as effective in your surveys. This creates a visual representation of progress and commitments.
4. Integration of Social Elements: By including multiple user avatars, your prototype builds off the insight that placing phones away is helpful; in a digital context, it translates to a virtual 'inconvenient location' by engaging users in a collective productivity environment.
Prototyping
1️⃣ Lo-Fi Prototyping
In my low-fidelity prototype, I've designed a digital "Study Room" interface to help reduce screen time and boost productivity, as informed by my research insights. The main screen shows a countdown timer and a progress bar, providing immediate visual feedback on the time left and the study progress, which my research indicated is vital for motivation and time management.
I included avatars for each participant to create a sense of community. This taps into the insight from my research that social accountability can be a powerful motivator for staying on task. I kept the design intentionally minimalistic to ensure ease of use and to allow for straightforward iterations based on user testing.
2️⃣ Mid-Fi Prototype
I improved my low-fidelity prototype to mid-fidelity by enhancing its design and adding features that directly address user needs identified in my research. I changed the timer to a circular format for intuitive time perception and refined the progress indicator for better visual engagement. I also introduced a 'Focus Level' chart for detailed feedback on productivity and a 'Members' section to foster a sense of community. These changes, along with a cleaner and more professional aesthetic, aim to increase usability and satisfaction, moving the design closer to a finished product that users can interact with effectively.
📜 User Testing + Insights (Summary of Responses - 2 Interviews)
The app's interactive nature stems from its positive competitive environment, which motivates users to concentrate by comparing their performance with that of their peers. Thus, attention should be given to highlighting others' performance metrics. It provides excellent self-performance metrics, like phone taps and unlocks, quantifying focus in a straightforward manner. Additionally, it's beneficial to have a distinct section dedicated to deeper personal insights, enabling users to take informed steps to improve their performance.
3️⃣ Hi-Fi Prototype
In evolving my prototype from mid-fidelity to high-fidelity, I focused on enhancing the interface with high-detail visual elements and interactivity that reflect a more realistic user experience. I introduced color and texture to add depth and a more polished look, which helps users navigate the app more intuitively.
I integrated additional stats and key metrics to give users a comprehensive overview of their study habits and app usage. This addresses the need for detailed feedback on productivity, allowing users to make informed decisions about their screen time. The high-fidelity prototype also includes a leaderboard feature, adding a gamification aspect that can motivate users to improve their focus.
Overall, the transition to high-fidelity involved adding richer visual cues, refining the user interface for better engagement, and introducing complex features that were conceptual in the mid-fidelity stage.
