Depnow UX Design Case Study

Updated: Jun 12

Key Idea

The idea for Depnow is to be a web application that enables its users to become consistent, focused, and effective while completing tasks that require Deep Work (DW), also known as focused work. DW includes activities like coding, studying, writing, and many other activities that require distraction-free concentration.

Overview

We have the world's knowledge at our fingertips. With this knowledge, we have the chance to be super productive when it's time to focus on what we're passionate about. But many, including myself, struggle to do DW, because along with the world's knowledge being at our fingertips, the world's distractions come with it. This is where Depnow comes in. Depnow is a web app that leverages the most popular digital methods that people use to stay focused and productive. To do so, Depnow has three areas of features, and they aim to make the user consistent, effective, and focused while doing DW. First, by tracking the amount of deep hours the user does, the app gamifies the amount of time you're focused through the use of badges and a scoreboard, aiding the user to be more focused during their DW session. Second, using the data gathered from tracking DW sessions and post DW reflections, insights about what methods and strategies work and don’t work can be shown using graphs and AI summaries, helping the user be more effective in future DW sessions. Lastly, in order for the user to be consistent, along with using streaks, the app would seamlessly connect to the user’s calendar and to-do list app to guide what the user focuses on during their DW session. All in all, I firmly believe this app could be a valuable tool to use against social media and other internet based platforms that aim to control as much of our attention as possible.

User Insights

From surveying and interviewing other students, it was found that others have different definitions of what DW is. From the ones who identify as performing DW, 77% say they face challenges staying focused and 69% take measures to stay focused longer. Also, the students identified critical factors such as time, location, task nature, and task sequencing as pivotal determinants of productivity. Lastly, it was found that 100% of the students work by or with a computer either all of the time or some of the time when performing tasks that require DW.

Persona

Name: Michael

Age: 20

Occupation: College Student

Location: SLC, Utah

Short Story: Michael, a Computer Science student, grapples with balancing academic rigors amidst digital distractions. Like most other students, Micheal needs his laptop to complete most of his school work, but his laptop also serves as his hub for entertainment. This lack of separating work from play often results in unproductive bouts of procrastination.

Personality:

Ambitious, self-improvement, impulsive , self-critical, Organized, self-aware

Fears and Frustrations:

Living by himself and not working a job has given Michael a lot of freedom to do what he chooses, especially on weekends. The days that are the most unstructured, where he doesn’t have classes, are the days he finds the hardest to sit down and do school work.
Lots of what he distracted by are a waste of time to him
Currently tries using these tools to focus
Windows focus sessions: hard to remember to use it. Can't link google calendar tasks, can't see dw sessions past 1 day
Focus To-Do: Can't link google calendar tasks, Have to pay for the good version

Goals & Needs:

He doesn't do as much fun activities and get as much done as he wants to
Focus sessions turn into doing unproductive work without him realizing. Needs to take a step back and reapproach how he is going to tackle his work
Wants to create a habit to do focused dw, so when he does work, his body won't be so resistant against it
His goal is to be good enough in his classes so that he can get a good grade as well as learn skills he could use for his personal projects.

Motivation

Sees how efficient his friends get work done so they can do fun activities much more than he can
Good enough grades and gain skills

Empathy Map

A typical day for Michael:
Seeing & hearing: friends playing games, more efficient with their time, study music, phone free zone
Doing: coding, studying, distractors: youtube, reddit, want more time for: video games and spending time with friends, playing sports and chess
Thinking & Feeling: Why can't I get my work done in a timely manner? I want to get it done so I can do more enjoyable activities and I want to do well in the class (inadequate, enjoyment). What time/days can I more easily focus myself to work? What are my biggest impediments to staying focused? What exactly should I focus on when I do my dw session?
Pains: unproductive during unstructured days, get easily distracted when trying to do work, forget to track my sessions
Gains: opposite of pains