Equilibrium
A scheduling app to help UofT students maintain a healthy work-life balance
Duration
September - December 2021
Team
The Process
Research
Heuristic Analysis
Web Analytics
Competitor Analysis
Empathize
Personas
Journey Maps
Needs Statements
Ideate
Brainstorming
Idea Prioritization
Prototype
Low-Fidelity
Medium-Fidelity
High-Fidelity
Test
Usability Tests
Surveys
Interviews
RESEARCH
002
Background Research
Our Goal
To set a baseline, our team was trying to determine what the golden work-life balance looked like according to science in North America
Our Method
We referenced 21 sources, including websites, scholarly journals, academic reports, and news sources.
The Golden Work-Life Balance
User Research
Our Goal
Based on the golden work-life balance ratio identified from our secondary research, we wanted to see how students were doing comparatively.
Our Method
We conducted 40 surveys and 8 interviews with 39 University of Toronto Students in a variety of programs.
Our Findings
62% had insufficient weekly exercise (24/39)
67% had insufficient weekly relaxation time (26/39)
46% had difficulty managing their time (18/39)
Pain Points
Our surveys and interviews revealed the following pain points:
Heavy Workload
“I always get overwhelmed and usually end up dropping a course every semester” - Participant 4
Procrastination
“Sometimes I would study for an hour [productively] and I get one message and it’s over” - Participant 7
Peer Pressure
“Huge peer pressure! I have group work every class and I don’t want to let them down...I always push through even when I’m tired” - Participant 8
EMPATHIZE WITH USERS
003
Persona
After creating an empathy map, we developed a persona based on our previous research to better empathize with our target audience. Meet Ursula the Undergrad:
Journey Map
Using our persona and insights from our research, we created a journey map where we outlined pain points and opportunity areas.
BRAINSTORMING
004
Brainstorming and Prioritization
We brainstormed potential solutions to the pain points identified in the journey map. We ranked our ideas based on impact and feasibility, ending up with four main features:
Behavioural Theories
Since motivating users to develop new habits is difficult, we referenced the following behavioural theories as we developed the features above.
Goal-setting theory
Small, concrete, and measurable goals are easier to achieve.
Self-determination theory
People don't like being told what to do, and want to control their own actions.
Self-efficacy theory
If someone believes they have the skills to succeed, they are more likely to actually succeed.
Fun theory
An enjoyable experience makes people more willing to take action.
PROTOTYPE
004
Low-fidelity Prototype
Taking these behavioural theories into consideration, we developed a low-fidelity prototype to test out some of the features that we believed would target our persona Usula's pain points:
Auto-generated scheduler
(Self-determination theory)
Syncs with students' school timetable to upload classes and assignment work periods
Allots time for exercise, relaxation, and sleep based on recommended levels
Flexible and customizable
Gamification
(Fun Theory)
Users create custom avatars of themselves
They can earn coins and badges to redeem for virtual rewards for the avatar (i.e. clothes, badges)
Progress Tracker
{Goal setting theory)
Feedback is provided through a daily percentage-based progress tracker
An optional phone usage tracker is included to aid in procrastination
Encouragement
(Self-efficacy theory)
Users will receive encouragement and praise from their virtual avatar for completing their starting activity
Usability Test
To make sure we were on the right track, we asked five representative users to go through the prototype. Based on their feedback, these are the change they made:
Removed Gamification
Participants did not feel connected to their avatars. In particular, it failed to resonate with the male demographic.
Added Progress Summaries
Participants wanted to see how their performance changed over time.
Added more rewards
Participants wanted instant rewards for finishing small tasks, not just the big ones.
Lessons Learned
#1
I can't solve everything, and I shouldn't try to. My team and I identified many pain points and it was tempting - but unattainable - to try to address each one. Scope management was key here.
#2
Distinguishing which pain points are external versus internal is extremely helpful in deciding which areas to address. For example, we didn't focus on peer pressure since it's an internal pressure that is hard to influence.
#3
Through my secondary research, I learned that personalization features are almost always a good idea. The more people customize, the more invested and connected to the app they become.
#4
Work-life balance is a difficult topic because solving it requires behavioral change. It was an ambitious first project to take on and I would focus on targeting more measurable subjects going forward.
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