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Project Background

Context

In a fast-paced world driven by technology, distractions are everywhere, making it challenging for people to manage their executive functioning

Executive functioning encompasses crucial cognitive skills such as planning, organizing, prioritizing, initiating tasks, managing time, and directing behavior towards goals. Many neurodivergent individuals, such as those with ADHD, struggle with executive dysfunction and face challenges with managing these skills. This can manifest in difficulty in planning and starting tasks, often leading to challenges in completing tasks and reaching their goals.

The Challenge

Design an application that empowers individuals with ADHD to enhance their productivity and daily functioning

As neurodivergence rates increase and daily distractions become more prevalent, the demand for solutions to help individuals manage tasks and boost productivity is growing.

Research

Secondary
Research

Secondary Research

Secondary Research

Individuals with ADHD have impairments in five executive abilities

According to Dr. Russell Barkley, an American neuropsychologist and ADHD expert, executive functioning relates to ADHD and are the core deficits in the disorder. He defines these executive functioning skills:

Inhibition

Also known as self-restraint, this is known as the ability to control your impulses, resist distractions, and refrain from acting impulsively. Individuals with ADHD often find it challenging not to immediately act on their impulses, leading to poor decision-making and actions that can disrupt their organizational efforts.

Inhibition

Also known as self-restraint, this is known as the ability to control your impulses, resist distractions, and refrain from acting impulsively. Individuals with ADHD often find it challenging not to immediately act on their impulses, leading to poor decision-making and actions that can disrupt their organizational efforts.

Inhibition

Also known as self-restraint, this is known as the ability to control your impulses, resist distractions, and refrain from acting impulsively. Individuals with ADHD often find it challenging not to immediately act on their impulses, leading to poor decision-making and actions that can disrupt their organizational efforts.

Verbal Working Memory

This refers to "The Mind's Voice." Starting as young as five years of age, children begin to internalize their speech. This voice helps to control yourself. Those with ADHD have a weak, if any, internal voice. Without an inner monologue, it is difficult to help control their body so they can do better actions that affect their body and brain.

Verbal Working Memory

This refers to "The Mind's Voice." Starting as young as five years of age, children begin to internalize their speech. This voice helps to control yourself. Those with ADHD have a weak, if any, internal voice. Without an inner monologue, it is difficult to help control their body so they can do better actions that affect their body and brain.

Verbal Working Memory

This refers to "The Mind's Voice." Starting as young as five years of age, children begin to internalize their speech. This voice helps to control yourself. Those with ADHD have a weak, if any, internal voice. Without an inner monologue, it is difficult to help control their body so they can do better actions that affect their body and brain.

Planning & Problem Solving

This refers how quickly in your mind can you think of multiple ways to overcome the problem. This is the highest executive functions in humans. People with ADHD will struggle with planning out what they hope to do. Our emotions are our motivations and if you cannot manage your emotions you cannot manage your motivations. People with ADHD have challenges motivating themselves, which means that they are often dependent on the environment around them and the immediate consequences.

Planning & Problem Solving

This refers how quickly in your mind can you think of multiple ways to overcome the problem. This is the highest executive functions in humans. People with ADHD will struggle with planning out what they hope to do. Our emotions are our motivations and if you cannot manage your emotions you cannot manage your motivations. People with ADHD have challenges motivating themselves, which means that they are often dependent on the environment around them and the immediate consequences.

Planning & Problem Solving

This refers how quickly in your mind can you think of multiple ways to overcome the problem. This is the highest executive functions in humans. People with ADHD will struggle with planning out what they hope to do. Our emotions are our motivations and if you cannot manage your emotions you cannot manage your motivations. People with ADHD have challenges motivating themselves, which means that they are often dependent on the environment around them and the immediate consequences.

Non-verbal Working Memory

This refers to "Mental Imagery" or the ability to hold things in your mind. This gives people the ability to visually imagine their history and use the past to do better for the future. People with ADHD people can’t do this, meaning they lack hindsight, and without hindsight they can't have foresight.

Non-verbal Working Memory

This refers to "Mental Imagery" or the ability to hold things in your mind. This gives people the ability to visually imagine their history and use the past to do better for the future. People with ADHD people can’t do this, meaning they lack hindsight, and without hindsight they can't have foresight.

Non-verbal Working Memory

This refers to "Mental Imagery" or the ability to hold things in your mind. This gives people the ability to visually imagine their history and use the past to do better for the future. People with ADHD people can’t do this, meaning they lack hindsight, and without hindsight they can't have foresight.

Emotional Self Regulation & Motivation

This ability takes the previous three executive functions and use them to manage your emotions so your body and mind work towards your long term best interest. Our emotions are our motivations and if you cannot manage your emotions you cannot manage your motivations. People with ADHD have challenges motivating themselves, which means that they are often dependent on the environment around them and the immediate consequences.

Emotional Self Regulation & Motivation

This ability takes the previous three executive functions and use them to manage your emotions so your body and mind work towards your long term best interest. Our emotions are our motivations and if you cannot manage your emotions you cannot manage your motivations. People with ADHD have challenges motivating themselves, which means that they are often dependent on the environment around them and the immediate consequences.

Emotional Self Regulation & Motivation

This ability takes the previous three executive functions and use them to manage your emotions so your body and mind work towards your long term best interest. Our emotions are our motivations and if you cannot manage your emotions you cannot manage your motivations. People with ADHD have challenges motivating themselves, which means that they are often dependent on the environment around them and the immediate consequences.

Interviews

For qualitative insights, I had five in-depth conversations with major procrastinators and individuals with ADHD

My goal was learn about their experiences with setting and accomplishing goals, major pain points, and scenarios in which they were able to overcome it. I gathered the insights into an affinity map, and 4 major themes emerged:

It's easy to get sidetracked by something more interesting

It's easy to become sidetracked by something else more interesting, so the original task gets further delayed. It can be very difficult, especially with folks with ADHD, to regulate their attention and control their impulses as their mind wanders.

"I have a tendency to wander away from tasks, get bored and quit halfway through, pick up my phone and forget what I'm doing. I try my hard to stay on task but sometimes just veer off task without me noticing and before I know it, it feels like I've wasted the day away."

It's easy to get sidetracked by something more interesting

It's easy to become sidetracked by something else more interesting, so the original task gets further delayed. It can be very difficult, especially with folks with ADHD, to regulate their attention and control their impulses as their mind wanders.

It's easy to get sidetracked by something more interesting

It's easy to become sidetracked by something else more interesting, so the original task gets further delayed. It can be very difficult, especially with folks with ADHD, to regulate their attention and control their impulses as their mind wanders.

"I have a tendency to wander away from tasks, get bored and quit halfway through, pick up my phone and forget what I'm doing. I try my hard to stay on task but sometimes just veer off task without me noticing and before I know it, it feels like I've wasted the day away."

Time blindness makes it hard to accurately perceive and manage time

Some people have trouble sensing how much time has passed and estimating the time needed to get something done. This often leads to them putting the task off, thinking they still allow enough time to get it done. For some, tracking the passage of time is difficult, so it's hard to finish things with no external deadline.

"My mind perceives two times: "now" and "not now". If it's "not now" then it might as well not exist."

Time blindness makes it hard to accurately perceive and manage time

Some people have trouble sensing how much time has passed and estimating the time needed to get something done. This often leads to them putting the task off, thinking they still allow enough time to get it done. For some, tracking the passage of time is difficult, so it's hard to finish things with no external deadline.

Time blindness makes it hard to accurately perceive and manage time

Some people have trouble sensing how much time has passed and estimating the time needed to get something done. This often leads to them putting the task off, thinking they still allow enough time to get it done. For some, tracking the passage of time is difficult, so it's hard to finish things with no external deadline.

"My mind perceives two times: "now" and "not now". If it's "not now" then it might as well not exist."

There is a lack of consequence

In order to succeed, there needs to be frequent, immediate, and serious accountability over time. Most people stated the times they were able to accomplish a task is when the consequences come closer in time. Some state that social consequences can be very motivating.

"I usually always end up getting work done because if I don't, I'll probably get fired."

There is a lack of consequence

In order to succeed, there needs to be frequent, immediate, and serious accountability over time. Most people stated the times they were able to accomplish a task is when the consequences come closer in time. Some state that social consequences can be very motivating.

There is a lack of consequence

In order to succeed, there needs to be frequent, immediate, and serious accountability over time. Most people stated the times they were able to accomplish a task is when the consequences come closer in time. Some state that social consequences can be very motivating.

"I usually always end up getting work done because if I don't, I'll probably get fired."

Competitive
Analysis

Competitive Analysis

Competitive Analysis

Competitor productivity apps lacked the accountability aspect

I accessed competitor products in the market and their approaches to helping increase productivity. I tested out competitors’ solutions and took note of their strengths and shortcomings.

Of all the productivity apps I analyzed, none of them had the accountability aspect that would be the driving factor towards successful goals.

Screenshots taken from Goblin Tools App

Defining the Findings

Key Pillars

Based on the insights I gathered, I defined four guiding pillars for the design of the app.

To make the biggest impact, the app needed to focus on these four aspects:

Break Tasks into Smaller Steps

Breaking tasks into manageable steps can make problems less overwhelming and easier to manage. For those who struggle to plan and problem solve, this can be an effective strategy to getting started.

Break Tasks into Smaller Steps

Breaking tasks into manageable steps can make problems less overwhelming and easier to manage. For those who struggle to plan and problem solve, this can be an effective strategy to getting started.

Break Tasks into Smaller Steps

Breaking tasks into manageable steps can make problems less overwhelming and easier to manage. For those who struggle to plan and problem solve, this can be an effective strategy to getting started.

Utilize Visual Aids

Those with impairments in visual memory struggle to hold things in their mind. With the help of visuals supports like schedules and to-do lists, we can help with time perception and foresight.

Utilize Visual Aids

Those with impairments in visual memory struggle to hold things in their mind. With the help of visuals supports like schedules and to-do lists, we can help with time perception and foresight.

Utilize Visual Aids

Those with impairments in visual memory struggle to hold things in their mind. With the help of visuals supports like schedules and to-do lists, we can help with time perception and foresight.

Create Focused Environment

For people who struggle with controlling their inhibition, success is often dependent on their surrounding environment. For this reason, we want to create a focused environment to limit distractions.

Create Focused Environment

For people who struggle with controlling their inhibition, success is often dependent on their surrounding environment. For this reason, we want to create a focused environment to limit distractions.

Create Focused Environment

For people who struggle with controlling their inhibition, success is often dependent on their surrounding environment. For this reason, we want to create a focused environment to limit distractions.

Have Immediate Consequences

In order to maintain motivation, it's crucial to create external continuous consequences that can help push through the negative emotions causing people to procrastinate.

Have Immediate Consequences

In order to maintain motivation, it's crucial to create external continuous consequences that can help push through the negative emotions causing people to procrastinate.

Have Immediate Consequences

In order to maintain motivation, it's crucial to create external continuous consequences that can help push through the negative emotions causing people to procrastinate.

Designing the App

AI-Assisted Task Breakdown

Help users get started on tasks by breaking them down into manageable subtasks

These outcomes are the result of Stanford Health Care using Caresync to identify and address care gaps.

AI Breakdown

Users input a task, and the AI generates a list of subtasks. This helps reduce cognitive load by eliminating the need to manually divide tasks and helps users to focus on execution rather than planning.

AI Breakdown

Users input a task, and the AI generates a list of subtasks. This helps reduce cognitive load by eliminating the need to manually divide tasks and helps users to focus on execution rather than planning.

AI Breakdown

Users input a task, and the AI generates a list of subtasks. This helps reduce cognitive load by eliminating the need to manually divide tasks and helps users to focus on execution rather than planning.

Adjustable Granularity

Users can select the breakdown level, from broader tasks to highly detailed steps, ensuring the task complexity matches their comfort level.

Adjustable Granularity

Users can select the breakdown level, from broader tasks to highly detailed steps, ensuring the task complexity matches their comfort level.

Adjustable Granularity

Users can select the breakdown level, from broader tasks to highly detailed steps, ensuring the task complexity matches their comfort level.

Visual Time Progression

Assist users in managing time and visualizing progress towards deadlines

I included a "focused mode" feature to minimizes distractions to help maintain a flow state and improve task completion rates. The focused mode includes:

Progress Bar

Shows task completion status, providing continuous feedback.

Progress Bar

Shows task completion status, providing continuous feedback.

Progress Bar

Shows task completion status, providing continuous feedback.

Visual Timer

Displays a countdown for each task, offering a clear visual representation of time remaining.

Visual Timer

Displays a countdown for each task, offering a clear visual representation of time remaining.

Visual Timer

Displays a countdown for each task, offering a clear visual representation of time remaining.

Public Feed for Task Completion

Increase accountability through a public social feed

Social consequences can be very motivating and a public feed leverages social accountability to motivate users, providing an external incentive to complete tasks.

Public Stats

Knowing that peers can see their progress can create a sense of pressure to perform well. This social pressure can motivate individuals to complete tasks to avoid potential judgment.

Public Stats

Knowing that peers can see their progress can create a sense of pressure to perform well. This social pressure can motivate individuals to complete tasks to avoid potential judgment.

Public Stats

Knowing that peers can see their progress can create a sense of pressure to perform well. This social pressure can motivate individuals to complete tasks to avoid potential judgment.

Task Publicization

When users complete a task, it's posted to a public feed visible to friends, and family.

Task Publicization

When users complete a task, it's posted to a public feed visible to friends, and family.

Task Publicization

When users complete a task, it's posted to a public feed visible to friends, and family.

Comment and Like System

Other users can comment and like completed tasks, offering encouragement and fostering a supportive community Other users can comment and like completed tasks, offering encouragement and fostering a supportive community.

Comment and Like System

Other users can comment and like completed tasks, offering encouragement and fostering a supportive community Other users can comment and like completed tasks, offering encouragement and fostering a supportive community.

Comment and Like System

Other users can comment and like completed tasks, offering encouragement and fostering a supportive community Other users can comment and like completed tasks, offering encouragement and fostering a supportive community.

Interactive Prototype & User Testing

Methodology

I built a simple interactive prototype and tested out four flows

I had 1-on-1 conversations with five users to test out the prototype and made iterative improvements based on the results. The user testing focused on a few core flows:

  1. Creating a task

  2. Setting focused modes

  3. Completing and publicizing the task

  4. Exploring the list of outstanding tasks

I had 1-on-1 conversations with five users to test out the prototype and made iterative improvements based on the results. The user testing focused on a few core flows:

  1. Creating a task

  2. Setting focused modes

  3. Completing and publicizing the task

  4. Exploring the list of outstanding tasks

Finding #1

The play button was redundant

Original Design

Users had to adjust focus mode settings and then press a play button to activate them. Some users ignored the play button, thinking the settings would take effect immediately.

Iteration

I removed the play button so that focus mode settings activate immediately upon selection, streamlining the user experience and reducing confusion.

Finding #2

Users interpreted red tags as "high priority" instead of "overdue"

Original Design

In the list of tasks, deadlines were shown as dates, and overdue tasks had red tags, which many users interpreted as "high priority."

Iteration

To make the overdue tags more obvious, I changed the tags to "x days overdue" to clearly indicate lateness. I also replaced deadline dates with "due in x days" to help users quickly understand upcoming deadlines.

Final Designs

Branding

I aimed to create a logo that was simple and embodied the app's features

Ollie is designed to empower users to take control of their day and achieve their goals. The logo features the name "Ollie" with a star in the letter "O." The star symbolizes guidance and empowerment and serves as a recognizable symbol of the AI Assistant within the app.

Style Guide

To keep designs consistent, I created a style guide to be used throughout the design

I created key elements that are essential for maintaining consistency and usability, such as color palette, typography, basic layout components, and interactive elements.

Kai

CareSync

Kai

CareSync

Kai

CareSync

Copyright © 2025 Kimberly Wong.

Copyright © 2025 Kimberly Wong.

Copyright © 2025 Kimberly Wong.