Design Problem:
The goal of this project was to prevent digital addiction from developing in adolescents, ages eight through fourteen, by creating an experience that will prevent the overuse and dependency of technology and encourage healthier habits.
Solution:
I teamed up with three designers in my UX Studio and conducted user research to gain a more in-depth understanding of digital addiction and children's technological habits. We then created a mobile application that allows young adolescents to interact with their "digital companion" to learn about and develop healthy digital habits while still feeling fully autonomous and stimulated even when they are away from their device.
User Research:
Because of the unreliable nature of interviewing and surveying children in regard to their digital phone use, we decided to go to their parents as subjects for our surveys and interviews. Using snowball and self-selection sampling strategies, we gathered a large amount research. This decision gave light into some insights that majorly influenced our final concept: children tend to want to be on their devices even more once the parents take disciplinary measures to take their device away from them, creating a positive feedback loop.
• We conducted two in-depth interviews, and created an online survey which yielded 80 responses.
• The survey was composed of questions related to the frequency and nature of the child's device usage, what they prefer to use the device for, and if any disciplinary action was seen as necessary to limit the child's device usage.
Research Findings:
Concept Statement:
Adolescents interact with their digital companion by means of a mobile application that allows them to learn about and develop healthy digital habits and feel fully autonomous and stimulated even when they are away from their device.
The main idea of this product is instead of the companion needing more time spent on the digital device in order to stay “healthy”, the companion gains health and offers more to the user when the user spends time away from their device.
Persona:
User Journey:
On “Take your kid to work day,” Jenny's mother, a park ranger brings her with her to the park. Jenny gets bored and pulls out her iPad to play Minecraft but her Habitat pal encourages her to stay off her device and go for a walk in order for it to level up. She then gets to enjoy the day with her mom, and gets to do her homework at night without he mom taking her iPad away from her.
Lo-Fi Wireframes:
User Test Findings:
After creating the lo-fi wireframes, we conducted user tests to get feedback on the foundation and overall usability of the app. We gathered some important findings regarding the needs of our target group:
• Users felt that they were too focused on the “diet” of their device usage, and there was a disconnect from the companion.
• The application felt too technical for a younger audience to the users, and still felt like a parental control application rather than something the target group would want for themselves.
• There would be more satisfaction for users if they could connect more with their companion and see growth.
• The overall concept was well liked once it was explained; however, the concept was unclear until the person conducting the test explained it to the user.
High Fidelity Screens
