Focus on what’s important… without any distractions.
Overview
App Description
Achieve helps you stay focused and blocks unproductive apps, allowing you to concentrate on your personal goals.
About the Project
Achieve is a conceptual project and was created on the notion that phones, though helpful are a big distraction in people’s daily lives.
In addition, the project explores and designs a native app for iOS and Android, using Human Interface Design and Material Design guidelines.
The Objective
Achieve helps "users" break free from phone distractions and stay focused for durations of time. It aims to improve productivity of an individual's personal goals and hopes to create more meaningful experiences through serene imagery, music, and assisting in concentration and mindfulness by blocking other distracting, unnecessary or time wasting apps.
My Role
UI/UX Designer covering:
Tools
Adobe XD
Balsamic
Invision
Understand
Challenges and User Interviews
Creating an app from concept to MVP was a challenge. It was difficult to narrow down ideas and come up with something I felt was original. I first began with the idea of a task app combined with an app blocker. An analysis of existing apps and user interviews informed me that although task apps were great reminders, they didn’t help people stay focused. An individual may begin a task as planned, but inevitably something draws there attention away, and in many cases it was their phone. The concept moved toward creating a solution that would engage users in a positive way by trying to help them reach their goals through focus and gamification.
Analysis of competitors
Initial findings seemed that many similar apps such as CoachMe, Focus, and freedom are either heavily task oriented, or are primarily app blockers. Later findings, apps Forest and Flora provide gamification and nature badges for continued use, but don't allow for use of apps that might be needed for productivity, or music apps (Spotify, Music), that people often use when concentrating or focusing.
In addition to finding gaps in the market, I identified features that might be used to improve the user experience.
Define
The 5 Ws and How
Answering questions based on the 5 Ws helped me to consider who my target audience would be. I decided on what kinds of tasks users would complete based the competitive analysis and interviews. When and where questions outlined the user’s journey. Creating a native mobile app would allow users to quickly access saved goals even when offline and take advantage of push notifications.
Problems
Task focused apps often too tedious
App blockers don’t allow use of some needed apps
Can’t quickly get into a “focus mode” without adding a goal
Can’t access music or devices’ music when focusing
Inability to view progress or time spent on goals
Keeping users motivated
Solutions
Simplify process for adding a goal
Start focus session from home page with one click
GIve users option to add/ edit music
Provide accessibility to needed apps
Tracker showing time and progress on focus screen
Gamification to motivate user to achieve goals
Ideate
User Flow
Sounds, Physical Feedback and Mobile Gestures
During the wireframing process I designed for sound and physical feedback as well as mobile gestures.
As an app that aims to help people focus, through reminders and even music, creating a plan for not only the visual experience but also the physical experience was necessary. This would help inform users of selections, navigation and provide feedback on notifications from the app.
Mobile gestures help communicate how users will interact with designs.
Mobile Gestures
Sounds and Haptics
Wireframes
Collaboration
Once the high-fidelity wireframes were complete I shared my designs with other UX designers for review. They provided some constructive criticism on the design:
Feedback
need differentiation with primary and secondary buttons
lack of cohesiveness with some color choices
text unclear in some areas due to background imagery
transitions from screen don’t match gestures
Color Palette
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY COLORS
Typography
iOS AND ANDROID
Prototype
Final Designs and Mockups
Focus Screen
Allows you to time your focus session
Track your “climb up” the mountain
See hours left until you reach the peak - Achieve!
View which goal you are currently working on
Tab: Focus / Music / Allow
Quickly turn on or change music during any focus session
Select which apps you might need during your focus - those not selected will be blocked to help you Achieve your goal
Add Goals
Add personalized goals you want to focus on
Set how often and the amount of time/frequency you would like to focus on each goal
Add daily reminder to keep up your progress
Edit details of previously set goals
Achievements
View your Achievements using the Navigation bar
See how high you've climbed (hours focused)
Unlock new mountains with continued focus
View data on your overall progress and individual goals
Reflection
This project showed that the agile approach helps with making small steps toward a user-centric goal. Empathizing with users will help uncover needs that could lead to a slightly different solution than originally planned, but you have to stay flexible.