SelFocus
Help users manage their concentration
Improving concentration levels by implementing non-stressed features
Background
Starting with the background knowledge of the focus system
Society Problem
The challenge of concentration
How do people feel about their concentration level in an age of inundated information?
It's easy to be overwhelmed by all the knowledge that surrounds us, but it isn't easy to maintain focus on our priorities in the face of an overwhelming amount of information
Design Challenge
No existing working model solving the true issue
Existing applications primarily generate attractions or help users leave their phones
Key Accomplishment
My findings confirm the approach taken to address the issue of concentration
In an effort to identify the primary and crucial factor influencing concentration
Shifted the designs towards addressing stress as a key element
Team
Mentor: Luke Miller
My Role: UX Designer & Researcher
Deliverables
User Research & Report
Sitemap (Information Architecture)
Competitor Analysis & Report
Fast Ideation
Wireframe & Prototype
Persona & Journey Map
Interaction Map
Timeline
Design & Testing: 6 weeks
Discovery & Research: 4+ weeks
Overall: 10+ weeks
Challenge
We care about the background of our current society issue in concentration
How to help users really focus?
The initial research did not yield any concrete solutions for improving users' concentration, so we shifted our focus to reducing stress levels
Method 01
Competitive Analysis
Method 02
User Interviews
Solution
Current in the market
Starting from learning what solutions current focus apps provide.
Develop targeted guidance to build a lasting habit in focusing
The initial research did not yield any concrete solutions for improving users' concentration, so we shifted our focus to reducing stress levels
Google Forms
12 Interviewees
Key Findings
The majority of users cease using focus application after giving it a try
1
Hard to establish trust
Users lack trust in the focus app's ability to assist them
2
Contradiction
Focus applications require users to put phones away while our goal is to keep users stay on the app
3
Need Challenges
If users lack tough or challenging duties, they aren't inherently contemplating concentration software
Research
What makes users focus along with anxiety? How users manage their anxiety while focusing?
How might we assist users in prioritizing their needs to alleviate anxiety by offering calming features
without disrupting their current tasks?
Method 04
Contextual Inquiry
Concentration ties to anxiety
These four points tied to the difficulty of concentration
4 Questions Raised:
how to solve anxiety?
how to help users control their lives?
how to increase self-evaluation?
how to improve confidence?
Method 05
Surveys and Questionnaires
Method 06
Design Principles
Turn Findings into Actions
Findings -> Design Principles
No loyalty on planning system
Users do not rely on a planning system to help with their concentration level
Clear Hierarchy and Prioritization
Establish a clear hierarchy that guides users through the content and prioritizes key features or actions
Motivation does not affect concentration
Motivation does not necessarily influence concentration positively
User-Centered Calming Design
Guide users through the interface with clear, calm language and visual hierarchy
Anxiety is the key
Users believe they can achieve concentration by reducing anxiety
Simple Interfaces
Keep simple interfaces to avoid unnecessary complexity and distractions
Solution
2nd
What makes users focus along with anxiety? How users manage their anxiety while focusing?
1
Design & Testing
"HMW" Ideation
2
Early Ideation
Site Map+Wireframe
3
Early Ideation
Prototypes
4
Design & Testing
Hi-Fi prototypes
1st Round
Simple information but focus on planning
This design offers straightforward information with a minimalist design style, while still emphasizing the Planning system to encourage users to reflect on their focus time independently.
Provide stress level monitor feature
Create user-centered clean and organized design
Organized user interface elements
2nd Round
Less content for solving anxiety
Placing the planning within the setting page reduces the task space and avoids highlighting it to prevent escalating users' stress levels.
Provide stress level monitor feature
Create user-centered clean and organized design
Organized user interface elements
Home Page
Quick and clean look for users to glance the application direclty
Clock Page
Click in the clock page by clicking the clock button, see the details for start a focusing time.
3
Usability Test
Recuiting: 5 people to test for the system have done
Effectiveness of Interactions
Users appreciated the simplicity of the sign-up process and the intuitive design of the application
Still not easy to use some main features
The majority found the features for minimizing anxiety to be helpful. However, some users reported the features are not easy to use.
Impact & Results
Turn into actionable insights
As a UX researcher/designer, I have to bear the bad news. In this particular case, the design solutions don't seem to be working effectively to address the issue at hand. I am aware that this issue is a significant problem globally. However, it is crucial to keep the communication lines open for further constructive dialogue and to engage a team to achieve better results.
Increasing trust from users
Add a team
Plan to include more collaborators in our team, including designers and modelers
Physical Models
Create a physical clock that aligns with the app to help users concentrate better
New main goal of app
Promoting user involvement in the physical setting
Take Away
Conducting qualitative research precedes any design process
Without undertaking two research studies on our social issue, discerning the correlation between concentration and anxiety is impossible
It becomes imperative and crucial to determine the precise direction before initiating the design process
Quick Summary
My Role
I started this study in concentration, created qualitative surveys by Google Form, FigJam and Miro.
Used Figma to analyze data and implement design solutions.
Impact
My findings confirmed the approach taken to address the issue of concentration in society.
My design solutions increased user retention on the homepage.
Next Step
I've reached out to another engineer and UX designer to work on a physical clock model to support the application's focus by creating a physical and realistic tool.