Screens of Good
Caleigh Bellot, Christine Bosch, Alyssa Coffaro, Bryan Johnson, Sylvia Mattingly
Does this image look like a familiar sight? Perhaps even a nightly ritual?
As a team, we were tasked with created and testing a design solution to the issue of screen addiction, a problem that is probably glowing in the faces of many of us in today’s society.
Understanding the Problem: Initial Research
Tackling the juggernaut issue of phone addiction, as a group we were interested in finding out how screen time and addiction affects all aspects of one’s health and well-being. To begin, we took to the internet and unearthed several interesting studies and articles surrounding the topic of screen addiction and phone use.
Internet research, etc…
In an article from The New York Times entitled “Screen Addiction is Taking a Toll on Children”, it is stated that “The average 8- to 10-year-old spends nearly eight hours a day with a variety of different media, and older children and teenagers spend more than 11 hours per day.” The article suggests that children and teenagers should spend no more than 2 hours a day interacting with entertainment media, as “they need time to daydream, deal with anxieties, process their thoughts and share them with parents, who can provide reassurance.” Another The New York Times article entitled “Why We Can’t Look Away From Our Screens” discusses the same idea, stating that screen-time is no substitute for face-to-face interactions with other human beings, and the lack of these interactions can be detrimental to one’s emotional health. In an article published online by Psychology Today entitled “Screens and the Stress Response”, Victoria L. Dunckley M.D. discusses how excessive screen time is associated with metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, blood sugar dysregulation, and obesity). Several articles cite screen usage and technology to incite increased rates of anxiety, depressive symptoms, stress, and sleeping problems (“Heavy Technology Use Linked to Fatigue, Stress, and Depression in Young Adults” from The Huffington Post, “12 Unexpected Symptoms of Phone Addiction” on addictiontips.net, “Teenage Depression and Suicide are Way Up, and So is Smartphone Use” from The Washington Post).
One issue that a Huffington Post article entitled “A Sad Number of Americans Sleep With Their Phones in Their Hand” called to our attention is the effect of screen use before bed. The article analyzes statistics gathered about phone usage from Bank of America’s annual “Trends in User Mobility Report”. The report found that “a large majority of respondents, 71 percent, said they usually sleep with or next to their mobile phone — and 3 percent of those people said they sleep with their device in their hand, 13 percent said they keep it on the bed and 55 percent leave it on the nightstand”. We were inspired to consider this issue further as we developed an understanding of the problem.
Self Analysis
When Alyssa reflected on her experience with her phone, she noted that she feels dependent on her phone to feel connected with her friends and the world around her (politics, pop culture, etc). When monitoring her phone usage with the “Moment” app, she discovered that she used her phone anywhere between 2 and 4 hours a day. She also reflected on one instance where she was separated from her phone and the internet for an entire week. When she went on a mission trip to Nicaragua for spring break last year, she had no access to the internet or cell phone service, and recalls feeling quite liberated and at ease not having to worry about what everyone else was doing back home. She felt more more present and was much less anxious throughout the day.
Caleigh stated that she felt like she spends a lot of time on my phone. During the duration of this project, she would try to remember to look at my phone battery usage, which gives an time approximation for how much the phone was in use since its last full charge, it also break down what percentage of that time was used on what apps. That was interesting to see, because she found on some days she used her phone more than others depending on what classes she was in, so it sort of made a pattern. It was also interesting to see that when on her phone she mostly used it for Snapchat, which seemed odd because that’s an app you get on to send something quick and then usually get off of it and go to another app. She always knew cell phone usage was a problem, but the project was eye opening to how much of one it is for everyone.
Bryan analyzed his phone usage over the course of a couple weeks. Half of this time was using his phone as he normally would but he paid attention to how often and when he used his phone. This usage was primarily dedicated to music apps but also social media apps such as Instagram and Twitter took up a lot of time. Bryan then took the remaining time to examine his usage when he only went on his phone during his walk to class and when he was home and his homework had been finished. During the time when usage was limited, he felt a lot more productive and was able to get more sleep and the sleep seemed more effective.
Sylvia used the app Moment to track her phone usage for a few weeks. Sylvia didn’t feel entirely dependent on her phone, but she had to check it at least once a day because she had to keep up those snap streaks. And while she was at it she checked Instagram too, and Facebook, and Pinterest, and back to Snapchat, again to Instagram, and before she knew it 30 minutes had gone by that she spent sucked into the world inside her phone. Sylvia’s phone usage landed between 1:30 and 2:30 hours throughout the study. The most interesting feature of the app was showing how much she used each app. She is a Snapchat addict!
Christine used the Moment app to track most of her phone usage. The average amount of time she spent on her phone per day was around 2 to 3 hours. The peak times were in the morning right when she woke up and before she went to bed. Leaving her feeling groggy and not ready to get out of bed in the morning. There was also more usage during the periods of time she was not in class. While being away from classmates and her laptop, she spends more time catching up with people through her phone. These are unhealthy habits that lead to anxious feelings when her phone is not nearby.
How are other people solving this problem?
Our group continued to conduct research, exploring how others have searched for solutions to phone addiction. In an Upworthy article entitled “A Meditation Teacher’s 5 Tips for Breaking Your Screen Addiction Once and for All”, Jon Krop shares 5 small tips to decrease time spent on your phone and help curb phone addiction. He challenges his readers to not pull out their phone for the entirety of their subway ride, take their next walk headphones-free, leave their phone outside of the bathroom at all times, avoid their phone until after they’ve had breakfast, and to turn off unnecessary notifications.
Apple has a few ways one can be better aware of their phone usage. The alarms app on iPhone also has a “Bedtime” feature which allows users to set a recurring sleep reminder and wake-up alarm to promote a healthy sleep cycle. “Pocket Points” is an app that incentivizes its users to turn their phone off by offering coupons and special offers in exchange for minutes spent off one’s phone. “Moment” is an app that records how much time the user spends on their phone throughout the day, and the battery usage page within Settings on the iPhone records which apps on one’s phone consume most of the user’s time and battery life.
Formulating questions
- What is the best method to combat screen addiction?
- Can our solution resolve both the physical and psychological consequences of phone over-usage?
- How can our solution be effective for all age groups and demographics?
- What is the most dangerous side affect of screen addiction?
- How do our phones affect our sleep schedule and overall mental health?
Initial Standards of Success
- Should encourage users to spend less time on their phone
- Should be accessible for all socioeconomic demographics
- Should be a long-lasting solution
- Should be easy to use
User Research
Human factor concerns were a main priority in our user research process. Based on our learning from User-Centered Design class, we know that human factors are concerned with the fit between the user, tool, equipment, device, and their environments. They can be physical, cognitive, social, and cultural. We were concerned the physical human factors of phone addiction: higher blood pressure, anxiety, poor sleep, etc. Cognitive factors such as attention span, sleep quality, and mental health were also considered throughout the process. A social factor we considered was the pressure to be active on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Finally, the pressure to respond quickly to text messages and document one’s life on platforms such as Snapchat were cultural factors we took into account throughout our user research process.
During the process of this assignment, we decided that surveys and personas were two of the best means of user research in order to create a product that we thought would serve the needs of the most people. Surveys would allow us to quickly and easily receive feedback from a specific audience. We sent the survey link so specific people who fit our target audience of study: young adults under 25. Personas allowed us to dig deeper and better empathize with the needs of our users.
One major issue that had interested our group from our initial research was the concern of phone usage before bed. In order to better understand this problem, we created a survey.
The 14 survey participants were all between the ages of 18 and 20 years old, and got anywhere between 5 and 8 hours of sleep a night.
In order to create our personas, we analyzed our own patterns in our phone research. We also had conversations with our friends and peers about their phone usage habits. One thing we realized is that people use their phones to feel more connected to others. Due to this they tend to feel a bit anxious if they aren’t always “in the loop”. Although this feeling of being left out seemed to have faded after more time off their phones. We also realized, through this process of user research, that less usage on phone time lead to a more focused mindset and generally feeling better over all.
Persona 1 — Justin
Justin is a high school student taking several Advanced Placement classes. He is usually quite busy with schoolwork, and his sleep schedule is not as great as it should be. When he is done with homework for the night, he unwinds by watching Netflix or scrolling through social media on his phone in his bed until he falls asleep. He reports feeling groggy throughout the day.
NEEDS: an incentive to stay away from his phone at bedtime
Justin is an auditory/verbal learner, and prefers to absorb information by discussing ideas and talking.
Persona 2 — Mary Jane
Mary Jane is a college student who uses her phone for several purposes throughout the day. She walks to class with earbuds in, she has a heavy presence on social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat, and she checks her email and text messages frequently. When it comes time to rest, do her homework, or listen to a presentation, she finds it hard to focus and oftentimes feels the need to check her phone.
NEEDS: a way to feel more present and less distracted by her phone.
Mary Jane is a visual learner, preferring to gather information pictorially.
Persona 3 — Sasha
Sasha just turned 7 years old, and just received an iPad for her birthday. She uses it to play games and watch movies and TV shows, but sometimes she never wants to put it down.
NEEDS: a way for her parents to monitor her screen time.
Sasha is a kinesthetic learner, and she best absorbs new information by performing tasks or activities.
The primary user of our solution would be young adults under 25 years of age who own a smart phone and want to formulate healthier sleep habits. The main learning style of our primary user would most likely be visual.
In further concept development, we would consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, particularly the basic physiological needs of sleep. We were interested in how according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the lack of a basic need like sleep can affect one’s entire well being, self esteem, and sense of self-actualization. We also considered that phone addiction can affect one’s mental health and self esteem, as we noted in our earlier research a link between excessive screen time and symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.
After our user research, our we added one more standard of success: the solution must positively contribute to the user’s mental health.
Concept Development
Our group brainstormed several concept solutions. These included everything from social media campaigns, to alert/reminder systems, to apps and incentives.
One concept we continued to explore was an app/software that logs the amount of time one spends on particular apps. Users could pre-set their daily allotted time for each app, and after the allotted time has surpassed, the app would be locked for the rest of the day. This solution could also implement incentives similar to “PocketPoints” for going under one’s allotted app time.
Inspired by our earlier research about phone usage before bed, another concept we explored was creating an app or piece of software that shuts off your phone at a set bedtime. This solution would specifically tackle the issue of phone use before bed, promoting a healthy sleep cycle and benefitting the user’s mental, emotional, and physical health.
We decided to pursue the sleep-time app because it met our initial standards of success. The solution would be usable by all demographics, and especially handy for our under 25 target audience, as students and teenagers would benefit greatly from healthier sleep cycles, and through our user research we discovered many people in our age group use their phone before bed. The app would be a long lasting solution as well, one that would formulate a habit in its users. Finally, we believed that the app would begin to inspire its users to use their phone less throughout the day once they enjoyed the benefits of a screen-free nighttime routine, and henceforth positively contribute to it’s user’s mental health.
Building The Paper Prototype
The “Unplugged” app prototype consisted of screens created within Adobe Illustrator. The goal was to create an app that would be enjoyable to use and view, but not contain any addictive qualities of other apps i.e. games, social media, etc.
After selecting a bedtime, the app will disable the phone an hour before the scheduled bed time. Once the phone is disabled, the user will only able to see the lock screen. If the user attempts to access the phone past the lock screen, only the phone call and Unplugged app are accessible, allowing the user to make calls in emergencies.
The Unplugged app sends a notification 10 minutes before the phone is going to become disabled. This gives the user the opportunity to access the Unplugged app and either change their bedtime, or delay it one hour. If they attempt to change/turn off their bedtime after the phone has become disabled, the user will face a series of reflective questions before accessing a passcode to turn off their bedtime. This makes the user reflect on the importance on gaining access to their phone and if it is necessary. Many people use their phone’s app/games to fall asleep. An additional feature to the Unplugged app is a Can’t Sleep? function that allows the user to access soothing noises to help them sleep.
Screen Walkthrough
Testing the Paper Prototype
Our group employed a combination of the think-aloud-protocol and observation methods to test our paper prototype. Although we did not have enough time to develop and launch a fully-functioning app, we felt we were able to gather solid feedback from allowing our test subjects to explore the mockup interface and express concerns and thoughts about the idea of switching off one’s phone at bedtime. Our user-testing method allowed us to better understand how our users interacted with and experienced our proposed design solution.
The first user we tested was Maria, who is 14 years old. Flipping through the prototype, she commented that she liked the colors of the design. She was able to navigate the prototype and find where she would set her bedtime and morning alarms. She commented that she enjoyed the feature that allowed her to select noises to fall asleep too, as she usually sleeps with some form of white noise in the background, usually her ceiling fan or white noise youtube videos or apps. She was worried that the app would make her miss Snapchat or text notifications from her friends.
The second user we tested was Ben, who is 18 years old. Ben commented that he would find the app useful to keep him focused on studying and encourage him to go to bed earlier, as he wakes up early in the morning to drive to school. He was able to navigate the app relatively easily, and appreciated that the app allowed him to set different bed-times and alarms for different days, as his schedule is varied. His biggest concern about the ability to make or receive emergency calls, stating that “if one of my friends is in trouble in the middle of the night, and they’re trying to call me for help, they can’t get ahold of me because I have this app enabled. That could be a real problem.” However, he was put at ease when he discovered that the phone call feature is not disabled by the app.
The third user we tested was Abby, who is 20 years old. Abby values her sleep schedule and health a great deal, and commented that she would find this app very useful. As she flipped through the app, she was able to find how to set her bedtime and alarm easily. She commented that the yellow text stood out against the purple background and made it easy to navigate the app. She was concerned that the app would not allow her to make an emergency call if she found herself in trouble and couldn’t remember her override passcode. She was also concerned that people would not be able to reach her while her phone was disabled, and worried that people may think she was “being rude or ignoring them for not responding straightaway to their texts or calls”.
The fourth user we tested was Juliana, who is 21 years old. Juliana spends her days student teaching, so she wakes up early and has very hectic days, oftentimes feeling exhausted by the time she gets home. She commented that a better quality of sleep at night would probably help her feel more rested throughout the day, and that she would be open to using this app to limit her phone usage. Interacting with the prototype, she stated she had no problems finding each of the features of the app. She appreciated that she could set a different alarm for a different day of the week, and she thought the white noise feature was helpful, because she often listens to music or television to fall asleep to. Her major concerns were emergency calls or being locked out of important information, pictures, passwords, emails, etc that she might have on her phone.
The fifth user we tested was Kelsey, who is 19 years old. Kelsey was apprehensive about the idea of her phone shutting off and “locking her out” at a certain time each night, because she goes to bed at different times each night depending on her homework load. She also likes to unwind at night by streaming Netflix or playing games. “I don’t think I’d like it very much, but I do think the app would be good for me…” she stated before interacting with the prototype. She was able to find the functions of the app easily and stated she liked the design of the interface. She liked the inclusion of a white noise feature and she expressed concerns about emergency calls.
Our results demonstrate that our prototype was well-designed, and easy to navigate and understand. Based on user feedback, the functions we included in the proposed app were useful, but there were a few that we could return and add in. Although phone calls are still usable with the Unplugged app, our users still expressed concern. This may be a sign that if we were to do another iteration of this project, we should either emphasize those features more or create another measure within the phone to contact others in emergency situations. Overall, our test users agreed that the app would have positive effects on their sleep schedule and overall mental health.
Evaluation
Is your solution usable?
Our solution is very user-friendly and usable. Usability is the measure of the quality of a user’s experience with a tool, product, system, or experience. We feel that our solution achieved usability because it is efficient to use, easy to navigate, and solves a tangible problem in people’s lives. The largest usability concern we received was ability to use one’s phone in an emergency, which can be answered to with override features and the allowance of phone calls. The app generates a positive user experience because, in actuality, the user is in control the entire time: the user controls their set bed time, alarm time, and they can override the app at any time. An experience with our app is a conscious and independent choice to take steps towards healthier sleep habits.
How did your solution meet or not meet your standards of success?
We had four standards of success throughout this project: our solution should (1) encourage users to spend less time on their phone, (2) be accessible for all socioeconomic demographics, (3) be a long-lasting solution, and (4) be easy to use, (5) positively contribute to the user’s mental health. We believe our app would be successful to those willing to try it and it achieved all five of our standards of success. The app encourages users to spend less time on their phone by restricting phone access after bed-time. The solution is accessible because it is free of cost and designed to be usable for all age demographics (beyond our 25 and under age demographic). The app is also a long-lasting solution since it would help formulate a habit of healthy sleep in it’s users. Finally, the solution positively contributes to it’s user’s mental health because healthy sleep can be a foundational way to improve one’s mental clarity, mood, and cognitive function.
How did the problem, and/or your hypothesis of the problem, change throughout the process (especially after getting to know the user)?
We entered this project thinking very broadly, searching boldly for the ultimate cure for phone and screen addiction. Upon research, we discovered many patterns: phone over-usage is bad, it causes mental and physical problems, phone addiction is pervasive in our culture, and so on. Once we honed in on a specific problem our process was easier and more streamlined. We began with the intent to cure screen addiction as a whole, and in the process, focused in specifically on phone usage before bed. Focusing on phone usage before bed we found contributed to solving the greater issue of phone addiction. By getting to know our user through surveys, personas, and user testing, we discovered that screen addiction and staring at glowing screens before bed has detrimental effects on cognitive function, mood, and overall quality of life. By taking small steps and making small choices, such as turning one’s phone off a certain amount of time before bed, our users can begin to tackle the issue of screen addiction in big ways.
What would you do differently?
If we were to do this project over again, we would have created a more structured and comprehensive user test. If we had the resources to actually create the app, we could have gathered great feedback, however for this project we could only encourage our friends to power their phones down and give us verbal feedback. The extent of our testing was allowing test users to navigate our prototype. A lot of people aren’t willing to completely turn of their phone, so it made testing difficult. We also would take better process photos and document our interviews in a more effective way, perhaps with a voice-recording app, so we could have an exact transcript of the think-aloud protocol and observations instead of a sheet of notes.
How would you grade your group (One to Ten, no sevens) on process (not product)?
Our group is at an 8 for process. We did a very thorough job on research and our prototype was great, however our testing could have been stronger. We could have tested a greater variety of users, beyond our family and friends. We could have documented our process more thoroughly as well.
What did your group learn from the process?
We became aware of our own phone usage and the dangers of screen addiction. We learned that an effective design research process helps designers create effective solutions. As designers, we cannot pull solutions out of thin air. The most worthwhile solutions arise from a careful and meaningful process, and from taking the time to truly understand one’s problem and user. Finally, we learned how to more effectively work with each other as a group and how to communicate as a team, a skill we will carry with us into the workplace this spring.
Is this solution solvable?
To an extent. Screens are absolutely pervasive in our culture. There may be no telling how a society filled with glowing white rectangles will function in the future, and there’s no good way to force people to put their phones and laptops away for good. Many of us have an awareness of the fact that that technology, screens, and phone addiction have negative effects on us as people. However, this project opened our eyes to just how deeply those effects can run. We believe this solution is solvable…maybe not by one app… but maybe by the generation of creative, determined, energized people we see all around us.
Works Cited & Inspiration…
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/29/smartphone-behavior-2015_n_7690448.html
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/07/06/screen-addiction-is-taking-a-toll-on-children/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/science/technology-addiction-irresistible-by-adam-alter.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201211/screens-and-the-stress-response
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-volpi-md-pc-facs/technology-depression_b_1723625.html
http://www.addictiontips.net/phone-addiction/phone-addiction-symptoms/
