Critr

Critr is a mobile application aimed to help those who feel they are constantly distracted by their phones and the many notifications they receive throughout the day. It is a mobile game that incentivizes the user to use their phone less and cut down on their notifications in a fun way.

Critr is a concept I designed for my UX certificate coursework, not a real product. It was never built or released, so there's no app to download. This page documents the design process.

Program: UW Certificate in UX & Visual Interface Design
When: Spring 2022
Research: 16 user interviews
Deliverables: Journey map, wireframes, style guide, hi-fi

Background

In the Spring of 2022 I enrolled in the Certificate in UX & Visual Interface Design at the University of Washington.

We were broken up into groups and given a problem statement where we were tasked to come up with solutions for those who are distracted by technology through research and studies.

We then individually chose our own solutions and went through a design process to create our concepts.

Problem statement

Our lives have become so digitally dependent that we now live in an age of distraction.

Technologies that are supposed to support our productivity, communication, and information access can keep us from completing everyday tasks.

At work, we are bombarded with email notifications and chat messages, while at home, we binge on digital entertainment and endlessly scroll on social media.

Without proactive controls or deliberate attention, our physical, psychological, and emotional well-being may suffer. Simply put, distractions may get the better of us and our lives.

How might we leverage technology to serve as the antidote to itself, fostering healthier habits for humans?

Research goals

To find those who feel technology has become a distraction in their lives and to see how they respond to the following:

What is their use of technology throughout a typical work or school day?
What are signs that lead one to think they are becoming too distracted by technology?
How has the overuse of technology adversely affected their life?
What changes would they like to see in their usage of technology?
What have they tried, or have they tried anything to reduce their use of technology?

User interviews

16 participants Young adults (18–25) Adults (26+)

14/16participants want to become less distracted by technology. The remaining two said they were slightly addicted but did not want to make any changes to their use of technology.

6/6young adults agreed that their phones are the single most distracting piece of technology in their lives, while 9/10 adults felt the same.

10/16participants mentioned they had a fear of missing out or not being included in things if they were to cut their technology use.

10/10adults mentioned technology use has made them less productive at work.

What caused them to notice their technology addiction?

Realizing they were becoming less productive at work or in school
Having less conversations when out with friends or family
Constant notifications throughout the day
Feeling physically and mentally less healthy from being less active

What have they done to try to limit tech use? Or have they at all?

Using app limiters, or turning off notifications
Leaving their phone at home
Going on walks, runs, exercising, to try and get away from tech

Journey mapping

I mapped the 5 phases of technology:

DistractionThe cause of their technology distraction.
RealizationWhat leads a person to be aware they are being distracted.
ResearchLooking for answers on how to correct behavior.
ActionChoosing a potential solution and putting it into practice.
EvaluationWas behavior changed for the better, for the worse, or no change?

Journey map across the five phases, with a blue line for older users and a yellow line for younger users — Tap to enlarge.

Older, less tech savvy (blue line): experience negative emotions when they need to look for solutions to their addiction online, but are more positive towards surveys or word of mouth solutions.

Younger, more tech reliant (yellow line): do not feel as negative when facing technological difficulties, but are less happy when having to make a change to curb their technology addiction.

Competitive analysis

Competitors: Freedom, Forest, Toggle Track and One Sec

There are many apps focusing solely on screen time analytics, tracking a user's usage of their phones and apps. A lot of these are already built into the phone’s OS and are enabled by default.

There are also many apps that help a user restrict their phone usage by blocking certain apps or notifications, and set certain time periods where they are accessible.

All apps seem to be free to use, some requiring an account to fully use all features.

What is missing?

These restrictive apps give little incentive for someone to stop using their phones as much.
Some of these apps have almost an information overload of stats, but no real solution to actually reduce phone usage.
There is no accountability from the apps to ensure the user is actually reducing their use of their phones.
Most apps seem to be more of a chore to use and are overall not fun or engaging for the user

Wireframes / lo-fi design

Style guide

Tap to enlarge.

High fidelity visual design

VMote: a Wi-Fi remote for Valerion projectors

Explore VMote