Maximizing Efficiency Together: The Journey with a Productivity Partner
By Wynne Tseng, Brooklyn Zhu, Oscar Su
Problem and Solution Overview
The core problem at hand is the challenge of maintaining motivation and productivity when organizing to-do lists, especially among young professionals and students. During our research, we discovered that conventional task management methods often result in a lack of fulfillment and self-motivation, making it challenging for individuals to sustain their focus. Another difficulty arises when people do not have other people to share their tasks with, leaving them without a support system to keep them accountable and motivated. Therefore, a to-do list application that facilitates connections with others aims to address this problem. Our ideal design aims to tackle this issue by implementing various strategies. One of these strategies involves incorporating group challenges, allowing users to form or join teams to collaborate on tasks and set common objectives, thereby fostering motivation and accountability. Additionally, the user experience will be enhanced through the introduction of a rewards/points system, enabling users to earn points for participating in group challenges and completing tasks. We firmly believe that the supportive environment fostered by the to-do list app will empower users to overcome productivity hurdles and navigate their daily tasks with greater ease.
Design Research Goals, Stakeholders, and Participants
Our research will employ two distinct methodologies: Interviews and Focus Groups. For the Interviews, we will engage participants individually using a carefully constructed list of questions. These questions will delve into their current To-Do list usage and the specific features they prioritize in a digital To-Do list. This method allows for comprehensive data collection and the flexibility to follow up with additional queries, maximizing our depth of insight. In contrast, the Focus Groups will involve group discussions facilitated by a set of prepared questions. These inquiries will explore participants’ experiences with digital To-Do lists in collaborative projects or shared tasks, assessing the utility and enjoyment of such interactions. By observing how participants interact with each other and build upon each other’s insights, this method provides invaluable insights into the community aspect of our digital To-Do list and informs our design decisions to better serve our target audience.
After our design research, we’ve uncovered key insights from surveys and interviews with users who rely on to-do lists for daily task management. Notably, individuals commonly employ checkmarks and color-coded labels to signify task completion and works in progress, underscoring the importance of visual cues in task tracking. Regarding task list sharing, participants lack a consistent method but occasionally share screenshots or images of their lists with friends, revealing an underlying interest in collaborative task management. Furthermore, our research identified prevalent challenges, including difficulty in prioritizing tasks, establishing the habit of updating lists throughout the day, and a lack of motivation to continually mark off completed tasks. These pain points highlight opportunities for developing tools and features that address these specific user needs, ultimately guiding our product development efforts in the to-do list management space.
Design Research Results and Themes
The design research we conducted on the topic of to-do lists revealed some interesting ] results, shedding light on the challenges people face when managing their to-do list. One key finding was the preference for digital tools or software to manage to-do lists, with 60% of survey respondents opting for this approach. However, 40% of respondents are still relying on paper-based or combined digital and physical techniques.
Another intriguing finding was the widespread use of check marks and strikethroughs as indicators of task completion, with 70% of respondents employing these methods. The struggle to rank task priorities, maintain consistent list updates throughout the day, and find motivation to revisit the list were identified as common challenges. Additionally, the research highlighted the potential benefits of introducing a reward system to enhance productivity, with 40% of respondents expressing interest in such a system.
The theme of implementing a reward system and exploring productivity partnerships emerged as significant takeaways from our research. Many participants expressed a desire to introduce a reward system into their task organization, this can be an opportunity to motivate individuals to complete their to-do lists. Additionally, the concept of productivity partners resonated with interviewees, with some recognizing the potential for collaborative approaches to positively impact their daily tasks. These findings provide valuable insights for designing innovative solutions to address the productivity challenges faced by students and young professionals seeking to clear their minds, stay organized, and boost their productivity.
Proposed Design
Our extensive research highlighted the reliance and prioritization of digital to-do lists over paper to-do lists in addition to the desire for features that provide visual feedback on completed tasks, such as check marks and strikethroughs. These findings suggested a large and growing interest for social productivity and community collaboration where tasks can be shared to friends or even turned into group competitions and challenges.
So, what does this mean for our proposed solution? An intuitive application that is both aesthetically pleasing and interactive, where users can use the software to keep track of their to-do lists, interact with their friends and families, and possibly participate in group competitions if they desire.
Bob uses our app to start a fitness everyday group challenge with his friends
Above is our first task storyboard, showing our user, Bob’s experience as he uses our app to keep track of his tasks and participate in group challenges to encourage productivity. The key design features in this application are the new notifications and the group challenge, which allows Bob to receive notifications and reminders on uncompleted tasks and the ability to participate in monthly group competitions with his friends, fostering a closer bond between him and his peers.
Alex uses our app to keep track of his tasks and spends quality time with friends while doing homework together
Above is our second task storyboard. This depicts how a user can use their app to keep track of their assignments and add friends to share their to-do lists. The key features demonstrated in this storyboard are the ability to add friends, where they can share lists with each other and schedule hangouts to do these tasks. In addition, if the user and their friends are taking the same class, they can combine their to-do list for that same class into one big list.
