Unified Productivity Platform
Background
In college, I began using productivity apps to manage my workload. As I downloaded app after app, I started to realize that the sheer amount of apps I had became harmful to my productivity instead of helping it. Through my research and multiple user interviews, I discovered that this was a reoccurring problem and was set to find a solution.
Design Process
The Problem
Students needs an efficient centralized product to greatly enhance their workflow and digital organization.
What is a productivity app?
Productivity apps are digital tools that can make tasks more manageable.
A list of common productivity software can be found below:
🗓️ Calendars
✅ To-do lists
🗒️ Notes
⛔ Distraction blockers
📒 Habit trackers
📚 Focus apps
First and Secondary Research
Since the pandemic, there has been a massive increase in digitization. Lockdowns all over the world caused schools, organizations, and businesses to rely on the internet to continue their operations while having to remain at home.
In order to stay on task and promote organization, more and more productivity software were being used on a daily basis which lead to a sharp increase in productivity software in the market.
User Interviews
Five participants who used 2 or more productivity apps within the past 12 months were interviewed.
Valuable patterns were discovered such as:
these apps were used to maintain schedules and organize tasks
some participants tried to incorporate all-encompassing productivity apps into their routines, but they were too difficult so they returned to apps that were built around a specific function or feature
types of apps that were most commonly used by participants were the notes app, calendar app, and to-do lists
Finding a solution
User research and competitive analysis revealed that simplicity was an important factor in productivity tools. Users had expressed frustration with feature heavy apps that required time to learn and maintain. They wished for tools that were intuitive and easy to use.
By comparing the data found through user interviews and market research, three core features emerged: calendars, notes, and to-do lists. However, many users noted that these features were spread across multiple apps, which reduced their efficiency by having to switch between them.
Based on these insights, the solution focused on creating a centralized product that combines calendars, notes, and to-do lists together into one cohesive product. By doing so, this reduces cognitive load and allows users to manage all their tasks without having to leave the app.
Feedback from User Testing
Pain points users encountered
struggled to differentiate the difference between a checklist and a daily event
users couldn’t delete existing events
failed to navigate to the notes section of the app and
were confused on the different note features when creating a note
From mid-fidelity to high-fidelity
Users found the new interface simple and easy but new issues emerged with discrepancies between user expectations and the actual actions of the producing a note
Conclusion
Each iteration allowed me to make the product more intuitive and sharpened my design decisions. By constantly incorporating user insights, I was able to evolve and improve the product at every stage of the design process.
By translating research insights I was able to make it easier for users to manage their schedules, tasks, and ideas without needing to switch between multiple apps.