Conceptualized a gamified productivity app to ease project stress.
Case study: ProQuestify | Solo Project | Time frame: 5 weeks
Focused Problem:
Procrastination, Demotivation, & Overwhelm of project completion faced by many users.
Goal:
To tackle the problem of overwhelm and procrastination by taking a more fun and gamified approach to project completion.
Solution:
Create a gamified productivity app mid-fidelity prototype that transforms task and project management into an engaging experience. Users set goals, break tasks into steps, and earn points, badges, and rewards for completing tasks within set timeframes. They also receive PDF files highlighting their achievements.
Challenges
Balancing engagement & gamification with productivity functions:
Blending gamification with productivity was challenging. Users appreciated playfulness but expected effectiveness. Balance is required in design and functionality.
Crafting a universally appealing UI despite subjective preferences:
Feedback revealed the app's design and interface needed improvement to broaden its appeal. Balancing aesthetics and functionality was delicate.
Handling all development phases alone, balancing time and resources efficiently:
Handling all development phases alone gave more freedom in decision making. However, the time-consuming and resource-intensive process highlighted the benefits of collaborative development, from research to prototyping.
Continuous refinement driven by user insights to optimize experience:
Participant feedback provided valuable insights into the app's strengths and weaknesses. Leveraging these insights to refine the design and enhance its potential as an engaging yet practical productivity tool was crucial.
Results
Users validated the core concept of breaking projects into bite-sized tasks led to reduced feeling of overwhelm.
The users appreciated the application's fundamental strategy of breaking down projects into smaller tasks to combat procrastination. This approach was well-received and validated the app's core problem solving design principle.
Demand for More Dynamic Features.
While the core concept resonated, some users craved a more dynamic experience with animations and gamified features to keep them engaged over time.
Mixed Reactions to Visual Style.
Some users found the visual style unique and fitting for gamification, others suggested simplifying the color scheme and improving readability through better font choices and text sizes.
These feedback provided valuable direction for further development: enhancing the app's interactivity and refining the visual style to create a truly engaging and effective productivity tool.
Design Process
Empathize + Define
The Problem
Procrastination, demotivation and the feeling of overwhelm when completing projects affects 15%–20% of adults.
Research on the Problem
Users rated themselves relatively high, indicating a strong motivation to be productive. However, 88% of users reported grappling with procrastination, highlighting a critical pain point the app aims to address.
Age 20-40
Research focus group - Students & professionals
16
Survey responses
3
One-on-one interviews
Reserach participant shares…
Ideate + Prototype
The System Idea: Leverage gamification principles to break project into manageable steps and complete them.
Recognizing the need for a more engaging task management solution and a gap in existing productivity apps, ProQuestify was conceptualized as a gamified platform to address procrastination and project completion challenges. The concept includes innovative features like personalized quest creation, reflection, and AI-generated quests, all integrated into a high-fidelity prototype with user registration, avatar creation, and task completion functionalities.
Design Strategy
The design philosophy is breaking a giant mountain into boulders and breaking those boulders into pieces of rock and tackling one rock at a time to clear the way and move forward.
Breaking down the tasks.
Breakdown of project tasks into manageable chunks as levels.
3 Methods of project breakdown
Using AI
Using pre-made templates
Creating your own from scratch
Reward upon project completion
Receive final reward that shows the journey’s achievement to serve as reflection adn motivation.
Leaderboard
Go up the leaderboard
by levelling up and earning points
The Userflow
The primary focus was on the core problem and solution in order to communicate the concept. And the secondary focus was on testing core functionality, user interaction, and the gamification aspects. Other features were set aside for second prototype.
The Key features of the prototype
User Registration
Users will be able to sign up and create their account.
Avatar Creation
As gamification is a major factor in it, users will then choose their avatar's image and a name, which will serve as their virtual Identity.
Quest Creation
Users will create their first quest (i.e., input their project) with the start and end date with the assistance of an AI model. They will also be editing these quests to make them more relevant.
Task Completion
Users will mark off completed missions, earn rewards, and advance to next level.
Reflection
Users will record their reflections and thoughts on their Level 1 journey to enhance self-awareness and personal growth.
Quest Completion
Users will complete an entire quest.
Receive Reward
Users will receive the final reward of completing the all the levels.
Testing
Moderated live user testing with six participants provided valuable feedback on the prototype's task breakdown and gamification elements, highlighting areas for improvement such as visual design, detailed explanations, and task completion flexibility. Suggestions for enhancements including animations, real-life incentives, and user-controlled rewards were explored, underscoring the need for iterative design and ongoing user involvement in future improvements.
The User Testing
Data was received from 6 Responses from moderated user testing interview, and 5 Responses from unmoderated user testing.
Q: How did the concept of turning project tasks into levels and missions impact your motivation to work on your tasks? Please explain
I find this concept quite unique compared to other productivity apps with gamified features. It feels like I'm playing a game while actually leveling up by completing tasks. When I'm motivated and already working on two tasks, I feel inclined to tackle a third. However, I'm not a fan of the small fonts in the app and would appreciate some animations to enhance the experience.
Q: What did you like and dislike about the app prototype most, and why?
I think it's a fantastic idea because when I have a task, I often feel overwhelmed by its magnitude and the time required. Breaking it down into smaller goals makes it more manageable and increases the likelihood of completion. I appreciate the structured path you've shown from step 1 to step 2 and so on, but I believe adding a visually animated version of that route would make the experience even more engaging and exciting for users like me.
Design Decisions Behind Key Features
The Analysis
Core approach to tackling the problem was perceived positively.
The majority of participants appreciated the app's approach to breaking down projects into smaller tasks. This confirms that the core approach to tackling the problem was perceived positively, and users agree with this method to address procrastination to make the overall project feel less overwhelming.
Needs more dynamic experience.
One participant mentioned they would try it out but was unsure if they would stick to it, pointing out that it was too static and would eventually get boring. It was clear from the test that users were looking for a more dynamic experience with animations and other gamified features.
Found the visual style to be unique.
Some participants liked the visual style and found it unique and engaging, which suited well for the concept of gamification, while others expressed concerns about the use of more than two different colors, small text sizes, and the type of font family itself.
Reflection
User feedback highlighted several important aspects of the app prototype. The approach of breaking down projects into smaller tasks was a hit, with most participants finding it helpful for tackling procrastination and making large projects feel more manageable. However, some users felt the app was a bit too static and could get boring, suggesting that adding dynamic elements like animations and gamified features would keep them more engaged. The visual style could use some tweaking to improve readability and user satisfaction.
Next Steps
Enhance Dynamic Elements: Develop and integrate dynamic features such as animations, progress tracking, and interactive elements to make the user experience more engaging and reduce the risk of the app feeling static over time.
Refine Visual Design: Reevaluate the visual design, focusing on optimizing color usage, increasing text sizes for better readability, and selecting a font family that balances uniqueness with readability. Conduct further usability tests to ensure these changes address user concerns effectively.
User Feedback Iteration: Continue gathering user feedback on these new enhancements and visual adjustments. This iterative process will help ensure that the app evolves in line with user needs and preferences, ultimately leading to a more engaging and user-friendly product.
By addressing these areas, the prototype’s appeal and effectiveness could be enhanced, ensuring it not only attracts users but also keeps them engaged over the long term.