Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler
Berkeley Innovation Social
2/8 from 12-2pm
Valentine’s Dinner
2/14 6-7pm at Dim Sum Co.
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Study
Task
Workout
Cook
Weekly Goals
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Star Jar
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total stars
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Exercise every day
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Drink Water
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Cook a healthy meal
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Productivity Solution
A design challenge completed in 5 days seeking to implement a creative design solution to strengthen focus and productivity
Problem Space
Narrowing the Problem Scope
In a world filled with distractions, productivity is hindered by distractions, environment, and numerous lifestyle factors. These factors contribute to procrastination and poor time-management that further prevent individuals from effectively “locking-in”.
While numerous productivity tools exist, many individuals still struggle with maintaining focus when completing tasks. To create a solution that combats this issue, it’s crucial to truly understand the barriers to productivity
To refine the broad issue of productivity, I narrowed the problem scope to college students. Specifically, I focused on how distractions contribute to procrastination, which hinders productivity.
Competitive Analysis
Notable Findings
Research Goals
First, I decided to broaden my knowledge of productivity hindrances. I recorded notable findings and consolidated my ideas based on theme.
Online productivity resources are over-saturated with generic advice or lists of techniques that are good in theory, but lack ease of personalized implementation. A wide variety of productivity tools students use aid in focus, note-taking, scheduling and more. However, productivity seems to be a crowded market, with many tools offering the same features.
To design an effective solution, I sought to understand
how students define productivity
what factors detract from their focus
how to make locking-in more fulfilling
Health
Time pressure, defined as “increased workload and decreased leisure time,” precipitated burnout and health-related loss of productivity in university students.
Lack of physical activity, poor diet, sleep deficit, mental health, and other lifestyle factors have a negative impact on student’s academic performance.
(Frontiers in Public Health)
(Springer Naure: Cureus)
Distraction
“Higher levels of concentration makes people less susceptible to distraction” by reducing background processing and stabilizing attention.
“92% of college students report using their phones to send text messages during class”
Barriers
Internal barriers to productivity include procrastination, frequent task-switching, and consequently stress, shame, or anxiety that further hinders productivity.
External barriers encompass environment, whether school, work, or home filled with interruptions that facilitate unproductive atmospheres.
Note-taking
Focus Techniques
Pomodoro
Time-Blocking
Two-minute Rule
Eisenhower Matrix
Scheduling
Secondary Research
Due to time constraints, college students were the most easily accessible user group.
(Harvard)
(Psychology Today)
(Psychology Today)
(Association for Psychological Science)
User Interview
Focus points: productivity habits vs. challenges
Key Insights:
What does productivity mean to you?
“finding motivation to do work makes me feel productive”
“genuinely learning things academic-wise and completing all my daily tasks”
“getting things done. doesn’t matter if it’s school work or not.”
Productivity = motivation to accomplish something and finish work
Conducting both the user survey and user interviews helped me gain a broader perspective on college students regarding productivity. The user interviews gave me a better idea of student productivity habits and hindrances.
Reward system or comforting habits --> sustain productivity
Procrastination and time-management ≠ being productive
“putting my phone in a different room, getting a sweet treat after”
“locking-in and genuinely understanding subjects”
“writing my tasks on sticky notes and listening to music”
“waiting until last minute because I work better under pressure of deadlines”
“getting roped into conversations around me and not having enough time”
work is boring, I’d rather play games or talk with friends”
What hinders your productivity?
How do you maintain productivity?
40 surveyed, 34 answers
User Survey
Based on the results, I derived that both external distractions and time-management
play a major role in preventing students from locking-in.
I wanted to pinpoint
what hinders student productivity
Refined HMW Statement
How might we streamline the productivity experience to be more fulfilling and balanced for busy college students?
Research
Takeaways
Students want to lock-in, but distractions prevent them from focusing on their tasks.
With academics, clubs, and social life competing for attention, students find it hard to prioritize tasks,
postponing them until last minute.
Procrastination and poor-time management leads to stress, rushed work, and shallow learning.
Many productivity tools are either unused, abandoned after a few tries, or don’t address student’s specific needs.
User Personas
To better inform my ideation process, I decided to create user personas, integrating ideas from my user interview and research phase.
Polly the Procrastinator
Locked-in Linda
Characteristics
1st year student, undecided major
social butterfly, spontaneous plans, loyal friend
hobbies: running, playing guitar, shopping
Goals
decide her major, pass her classes, make friends!
Motivations
Learning new things and discovering her passion / major
Meeting new people and making connections
Challenges
Distracted easily by social media and phone notifications
Struggles with managing her time and heavily procrastinates
Often postpones work until last minute before the deadline
Needs
Tools that provide positive feedback or rewards for completing tasks
Supportive community that motivates her to do work
Resources that help manage her time to prevent procrastination
Motivations
Desire to excel in her academics and pursue medical school
Helping people through medicine and making a positive impact
Challenges
Often stressed out by deadlines, assignments, and extracurriculars
Has trouble finding time to complete all her work
Struggles to balance academics with personal health
Needs
A quiet study environment for long lock-in sessions
Tools that help her organize and prioritize tasks
Balance between stressful academics, self-care, and social life
Characteristics
3rd year pre-med student, chemistry major
tight-knit friend group, scheduled hang outs
hobbies: painting, baking, playing piano
Goals
get into med school, ace her classes, volunteer
Key Takeaway
I decided to target users like Polly the Procrastinator as my target user group. Since these users often struggle with finding the motivation and drive to set goals and meet deadlines, a productivity solution would be most beneficial to them. Therefore, I’d like to refine my problem scope to finding a solution that helps integrate structured productivity and promotes overall well-being.
Credit to DrawKit for the avatars!
User Journey: Polly the Procrastinator
Context: Polly is trying to improve her procrastination habits by writing to-do lists on her phone’s notes app, and inputting important dates in Google Calendar.
Constructing user personas and Polly’s user journey helped me analyze the user’s productivity pain points and challenges that in turn allowed me to understand their needs.
Procrastination
Distractions
Lack of Structure or Accountability
Minimizing distractions and staying on task
Organized task tracking and accountability
Motivation and sustained progress
User
Actions
Writes a to-do list on her phone: review notes, practice exams, etc
I’m going to study earlier this time so I’m not stressed later
Puts “Math Midterm” in her Google Calendar 2 weeks before the midterm
I have 2 whole weeks to study, that’s plenty of time
Calm, hopeful
Optimistic, determined
Begins reviewing notes and starts to feel good about the exam
I actually understand the material!
Satisfied, confident
Checks her to-do list on her phone and magically switches to Tiktok
I’ll just take a short break from studying... I deserve it
Distracted, hesitant
The night before the exam, realizes she hasn’t started the practice exams
I haven’t done any practice exams, I’m screwed.
Frantic, dejected
Thoughts
Emotions
Pain Points
Needs / Opportunities
Ideation
Mind Map
Divergent Thinking
Going into ideation, I knew I wanted to implement findings from both research and synthesis. Throughout both, recurring themes of procrastination, task-organization, and distractions were prominent. I also found that students prioritize in different ways.
To better organize my ideas from divergent thinking, I decided to divide my ideas between physical and digital productivity solutions in a mind map. By grouping the ideas into categories of types of solutions, it helped me visualize the different kinds of solutions I could pursue.
lock-in mode on laptop/phone - restricts certain apps when turned on
automatic calendar - extension that organizes tasks and goals using AI
productivity kit - ear plugs, pomodoro timer, etc
gamified productivity - penalty dice and lock-in cards
productivity workspace - hub for all things productivity (academics/life)
lock-in workspaces - dedicated for locking-in
productivity maps - google maps but with indicators for study spots
lock-in bootcamp - intensive program/class teaching locking-in
productivity sheets - sticky notes merged with planners
revamped bullet journal design - planner but more personalized
lock-in website - study groups
Productivity
Physical
Solutions
Libraries
Redefined
Environ-
ment
Paper
Tools
Lock-in
Website
Lock-in
Website
Productivity
widget
Productivity
Maps
Lock-in
Device
Mode
Automatic Calendar
Productivity Workspace
Resources
Tools
Features
Lock-in
Bootcamp
Revamped
Bullet
Journal
Productivity
Kit
Gamified Productivity
Productivity
Sheets
Digital
Solutions
Convergent thinking
Final Solution
Why I chose AutoFocus
I decided to refine my ideas to brainstorm tools that would:
prevent distractions that enabled procrastination
aid in task management and organization
foster balance between academics / health / social life
Productivity
Sheets
Automatic Calendar
Lock-in
Workspaces
Productivity Workspace
high impact
low impact
high
effort
low
effort
Productivity
widget
Lock-in
Device
Mode
Automatic Calendar
Lock-in
Website
Lock-in
Website
Productivity
Maps
Lock-in
Workspaces
Lock-in
Bootcamp
Productivity
Kit
Gamified Productivity
Revamped
Bullet
Journal
Productivity
Sheets
From my 2x2 matrix, I chose the 3 most low effort, high impact ideas that achieved the goals I set
My solution incorporated features that addressed 3 user needs and pain points.
AutoFocus is a Google Chrome extension that fosters productivity and fulfillment by enhancing focus, scheduling tasks, and promoting a balanced lifestyle. By integrating features like focus mode, automated and collaborative scheduling, and goal-setting, AutoFocus promotes time-management and enhance workflow.
By creating the user personas and journey, I realized that all students struggle with task-management. While productivity sheets could aid in organizing tasks, it relies on the user to hold themselves accountable. On the contrary, AutoFocus offers a solution for the majority of students with automated scheduling, removing some of the decision-making burden.
To detach social life as a distraction, the collaborative scheduling feature promotes both social interaction and study sessions, with shared tasks and reminders!
Furthermore, my user interviews and personas illustrated the downfall of productivity due to distractions, both digital and social. While the solutions to social distractions vary, AutoFocus offers an accessible solution to digital distractions: focus mode.
After doing secondary research and user interviews, I decided to implement goal-setting features that allow individuals to pursue their very own balanced lifestyle. From workouts to hangouts, this feature promotes fulfillment through productivity through goals.
With most of my physical solutions being low-impact, I realized that a digital solution would be most effective in addressing student’s personalized needs, while being most feasible and accessible to a larger user group.
Physical limitations;
only external solution
Limited function; Relies on user usage
Automated scheduling, opportunity for features
Lo-fi Designs
Browser
Tab
AutoFocus
Side Bar
Explanation
Automated Scheduling
utilizes AI to automatically integrate tasks into Google calendar
Collaborative Scheduling
Add participants, write shared reminders
Focus Mode
turns off notifications, blocks specified websites/apps
personalizable to do list / productivity techniques
Goal Creation
Set goals and receive stars weekly if you achieve them
Example Prompt: Schedule 3 study blocks of 2 hours each before my Math midterm
View your solar system -->
automated scheduling
Extension Placement
collaborative scheduling
Drink Water
Weekly Goals
S
M
Tu
Th
F
S
W
Star Jar
Example Prompt:
Input these events:
2/8 12-2pm Berkeley Innovation Social
2/14 6-7pm V-day dinner at Dim Sum Co.
Example Prompt:
Input these events:
2/8 12-2pm Berkeley Innovation Social
2/14 6-7pm V-day dinner at Dim Sum Co.
Example Prompt:
Import the assignment deadlines from this page
bcourses link
Example Prompt:
I
Schedule anything...
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x
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x
Title
Date and time
Participants
Event Details
New Event
choose apps/websites to block, choose what productivity/study techniques to add
Create a new event
Add weekly goal
+
Exercise every day
Cook a healthy meal
goal setting
choose apps/websites to block, choose what productivity/study techniques to add
focus mode
To-do list
Pomodoro Timer
Edit focus mode settings
Review Notes
Practice Tests
Flashcards
Focus Mode
-
x
-
x
User Feedback
Supplemental Lo-Fi Designs
“I would definitely use this. There’s so many features”
I realized that while the interface might make the features intuitive, it might be helpful to create an onboarding page
“The event page is already similar to what they have right now... you can add people on bcal”
Since Google Calendar already has the “Add guests” option, I decided re-think my lo-fi design for the collaborative scheduling page.
“I know some people like studying with a fireplace in the background, maybe you could add that”
This insight sparked a new idea for an integrated environment feature!
“Woah I like the stars”
My classmate’s reaction confirmed that gamify-ing goals piques initial interest.
“I feel like you should sync the to-do list with a phone app because sometimes I get ideas while I’m walking”
I did think of connecting the extension to a mobile app, but time-constraints limited the feasability
onboarding
This is to help familiarize users with all the features that AutoFocus has to offer!
Inspired by ambience videos on Youtube that create an atmosphere, these curated environments help users get in the right mind space for locking-in
integrated environment
welcome to
Key Feature #1
Key Feature #2
Key Feature #2
Key Feature #3
AutoFocus
Fireplace
Fireplace
Ocean
Forest
AI-generate
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x
-
x
Re-vamped collaborative scheduling page
collaborative scheduling
-
x
Event Name
Add a Description
Date
Participants
Tasks
+
Practice Tests
Flashcards
Practice Tests
Flashcards
Create event
High Fidelity Design
Note: These screens represent the side bar on a browser tab, not mobile screens
Task Scheduler helps by automatically scheduling commitments and tasks into Google Calendar.
Simplifies scheduling collaborative events, integrates shared tasks
Blocks distracting notifications, apps, and websites to create a focused study environment
Build goal accountability and motivation through gamified sense of accomplishment
Provides customizable digital workspaces to set the atmosphere for any task
Task-management
Event scheduling
Goal-setting and
fulfillment
Environment Curation
Distraction Prevention
Task Management
Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler
Berkeley Innovation Social
2/8 from 12-2pm
Valentine’s Dinner
2/14 6-7pm at Dim Sum Co.
Quick Add
Study
Task
Workout
Cook
Event Name
Add a Description
Month 00
00 am
00 pm
-
Participants
Tasks
+
Create event
Add Task
Add Location
Focus Mode
To-do list
Review Notes
Practice Tests
Flashcards
Pomodoro
25 : 00
Edit focus mode settings
Weekly Goals
Add new goal
Star Jar
9
total stars
View full solar system -->
Exercise every day
Th
F
S
Drink Water
Th
F
S
Cook a healthy meal
Th
F
S
Environment
Living Room Fireplace
Ocean Waves
Morning Forest
Add themes
Hi-Fi Video
Future Iterations
Due to the time constraint of the project, I wasn’t able to implement all the features that I wanted to. If I had more time, here are some things I would include:
Different settings for non-students
Professionals at work
Teachers
Mobile app connection
Allow users to create notes on their mobile phones to record on-the-go thoughts
Onboarding prototypes
To familiarize users with the extension
Completing this project gave me lots of insight into the human-centered design process. I realized that in the past, I had often gone straight into project without doing research. By learning and doing the different steps in the design process, I was able to create a design solution that directly addressed user needs. While I initially struggled with narrowing down my problem scope and utilizing the design process, I kept going. As a result, I was able to create a solution that I’m proud of.
Acknowledgements