Po-do-ro!
End to End App
A customizable pomodoro timer app combined with a to-do list — built with ADHD in mind. Free of distraction and packed with only the essentials.
Project Date: January 2023 / 7 weeks
My Role: UX Researcher/Designer
Responsibilities: Research, personas, sketching, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing
Team: Mentor, Group Crit Peers
Overview
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can result in attention difficulty, hyperactivity, or impulsiveness. Although ADHD diagnoses are most often made during childhood, ADHD diagnosis for adults have been on the rise.
Although there are treatments out there that help with combating ADHD (stimulant medicine, psychotherapy, etc), most of the work falls onto the individual to employ and take advantage of these tools in order to further accomplish their goals in work and life. Most adults with ADHD turn to utilizing productivity apps in order to combat the challenges that come with having ADHD.
The Problem
❌
Adults diagnosed with ADHD often struggle with task prioritization, initiation and organization. Although many use productivity apps to combat ADHD, a single app often does not address every need.
Productivity apps tend to have one particular feature but not all the features a user with ADHD may be looking for. A simple to-do list may not be enough – it’s missing the accountability factor, reward system, and time management. In order to supplement simple to-do lists, users download additional apps to address those needs.
This ends up leading to people using multiple apps to have to be productive or stay on task. This can be overwhelming for not just users with ADHD but any other user wanting to be productive and organized. The more taps they need to transition to another app may result in them getting sidetracked/distracted and leading them to other apps they didn’t intend on going to.
The Main Goal
🎯
Create an app that assists users with task related struggles while reducing the amount of distractions within the app. Focus of the app should be task visibility, automated decision making, and a reward system
What do we need to understand to achieve this goal?
Question #1
What feature is most desired in a task/time management app?
Question #2
How do users with ADHD manage their tasks/time?
Question #3
What are user’s main pain points with ADHD?
Understanding the users through research
Question # 1: What feature is most desired in a task/time management app?
Research Methods
Secondary Research
1 on 1 interviews
User Survey
Here were the top answers for features desired in a task management app:
Anything that assists with task initiation
Ability to customize and adjust visuals or timers
Simplified, non distracting information
Research Details
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Pomodoro method is commonly used for time management and assists users with completing tasks
Popular apps for productivity and task management are Routinery, Habit Now, Todoist, Asana, Forest, Focus To-Do, Habitica, etc.
All apps generally focus on addressing a singular pain point rather than a blanket solution
People with ADHD can be easily overwhelmed by information overload -- the simpler the design, the better
Everyone with ADHD is not the same -- some users may do fine with task initiation but will have issues staying focused and vice versa
-
Only one interview was conducted.
Overview
Interviewed a 36 yr old who was diagnosed with ADHD -- currently uses a calendar she created herself + Routinery (habit self-care/routine app) to assist with task completion
User’s custom calendar satisfies the following needs that current apps she uses does not which are: a reward system, randomized tasks, and easily viewable tasks/time blocks
Main Pain Points
Addiction to dopamine rich activities, has a hard time focusing if the task is not interesting enough
Decision paralysis (Too much time planning how to complete tasks, not enough time spent doing tasks)
“It is not the doing of the work that is difficult, it is the decision to do the work”
Time blindness (Inability to sense the passing of time)
-
Overview
22 responses recorded via Google Forms
Users were asked about what methods they use to stay on task, their experience with ADHD (if they have been diagnosed) and other behavioral questions
Users are motivated mostly by outside accountability (being watched/hard deadlines)
Main Pain Points
Users did not find existing pomodoro apps to be helpful (Time slots are too rigid -- working time is too short, break times are too long)
80% of users reported that they agree with the following statements:
I procrastinate, especially if a task requires a lot of thought or work to accomplish
I find myself getting sidetracked when I am doing a task for too long
Question # 2: How do users with ADHD manage their tasks/time?
Research Methods
Secondary Research
1 on 1 interviews
User Surveys
Users with ADHD generally manage their tasks/time by the following:
Productivity apps (Routinery, Todoist, Notion, etc)
Calendar apps (Google Calendar, iCal)
Physical planners
Pomodoro method
A time management method based on 25-minute stretches of focused work broken by five minute breaks. After 4 cycles, a longer break is taken (15-30 min)
Survey users noted that they use pomodoro videos on YouTube, which plays music and shows a timer on the screen
Other users have reported using a pomodoro app but did not like how limited it was
“25 minutes is too short for a work period, 5 minutes is too long of a break”
Research Details
-
Pomodoro method is commonly used for time management and assists users with completing tasks
Popular apps for productivity and task management are Routinery, Habit Now, Todoist, Asana, Forest, Focus To-Do, Habitica, etc.
All apps generally focus on addressing a singular pain point rather than a blanket solution
People with ADHD can be easily overwhelmed by information overload -- the simpler the design, the better
Everyone with ADHD is not the same -- some users may do fine with task initiation but will have issues staying focused and vice versa
-
Only one interview was conducted.
Overview
Interviewed a 36 yr old who was diagnosed with ADHD -- currently uses a calendar she created herself + Routinery (habit self-care/routine app) to assist with task completion
User’s custom calendar satisfies the following needs that current apps she uses does not which are: a reward system, randomized tasks, and easily viewable tasks/time blocks
Main Pain Points
Addiction to dopamine rich activities, has a hard time focusing if the task is not interesting enough
Decision paralysis (Too much time planning how to complete tasks, not enough time spent doing tasks)
“It is not the doing of the work that is difficult, it is the decision to do the work”
Time blindness (Inability to sense the passing of time)
-
Overview
22 responses recorded via Google Forms
Users were asked about what methods they use to stay on task, their experience with ADHD (if they have been diagnosed) and other behavioral questions
Users are motivated mostly by outside accountability (being watched/hard deadlines)
Main Pain Points
Users did not find existing pomodoro apps to be helpful (Time slots are too rigid -- working time is too short, break times are too long)
80% of users reported that they agree with the following statements:
I procrastinate, especially if a task requires a lot of thought or work to accomplish
I find myself getting sidetracked when I am doing a task for too long
Understanding the users through research
Question # 3: What are user’s main pain points with ADHD?
Research Methods
Secondary Research
1 on 1 interviews
User Surveys
The top frustrations with having ADHD are…
Procrastinating on tasks that require a lot of thought or work to accomplish
Getting distracted or side tracked when doing a task for too long
Decision paralysis
Having trouble initiating tasks rather than actually doing them — stuck in a state of ideation but never execution
Time blindness
Inability to sense the passing of time
Research Details
-
Pomodoro method is commonly used for time management and assists users with completing tasks
Popular apps for productivity and task management are Routinery, Habit Now, Todoist, Asana, Forest, Focus To-Do, Habitica, etc.
All apps generally focus on addressing a singular pain point rather than a blanket solution
People with ADHD can be easily overwhelmed by information overload -- the simpler the design, the better
Everyone with ADHD is not the same -- some users may do fine with task initiation but will have issues staying focused and vice versa
-
Only one interview was conducted.
Overview
Interviewed a 36 yr old who was diagnosed with ADHD -- currently uses a calendar she created herself + Routinery (habit self-care/routine app) to assist with task completion
User’s custom calendar satisfies the following needs that current apps she uses does not which are: a reward system, randomized tasks, and easily viewable tasks/time blocks
Main Pain Points
Addiction to dopamine rich activities, has a hard time focusing if the task is not interesting enough
Decision paralysis (Too much time planning how to complete tasks, not enough time spent doing tasks)
“It is not the doing of the work that is difficult, it is the decision to do the work”
Time blindness (Inability to sense the passing of time)
-
Overview
22 responses recorded via Google Forms
Users were asked about what methods they use to stay on task, their experience with ADHD (if they have been diagnosed) and other behavioral questions
Users are motivated mostly by outside accountability (being watched/hard deadlines)
Main Pain Points
Users did not find existing pomodoro apps to be helpful (Time slots are too rigid -- working time is too short, break times are too long)
80% of users reported that they agree with the following statements:
I procrastinate, especially if a task requires a lot of thought or work to accomplish
I find myself getting sidetracked when I am doing a task for too long
Research Takeaways: What did we learn from the research?
Initiating a task is more difficult than doing the actual task (decision paralysis)
Pomodoro time slots are too rigid and too short for existing apps
Inability or difficulty with sensing the passing of time (Time blindess)
Here’s how we translate that into design goals…
Initiating a task is more difficult than doing the actual task (decision paralysis)
↓
User should be able to easily visualize time left for a task at a glance
Pomodoro time slots are too rigid and too short for existing apps
↓
User should be able to adjust time durations without any difficulty
Inability or difficulty with sensing the passing of time (Time blindess)
↓
User should be able to start and initiate tasks with little to no setup
And then translate design goals to features…
A quick-start function that takes tasks at random and starts a short session
Adjustable time durations for working, rest, and long break sessions
Simplified timer screen with easy to read information
Sketches
Initial Design
Design Highlight: Timer Page
Why design it this way?
Circle Timer: A very basic timer — it mimics the ones that exist on our smartphones, so it’s easy for users to understand without much additional learning
Progress Bar: Let’s the user know how far they are in completing their tasks! Knowing how far they are into the session helps mentally with pacing and sets that expectation that they are either almost done or not quite there yet. Circles denote tasks and diamonds denote breaks.
Design V2
Changes made after group critique feedback but before user testing.
CTA color change to green
Card color changed to neutral color
Info cards change to neutral color
Timer color now matches task category color
Current task has been made smaller and less distracting
User Testing
Total Participants
11
Total Time Spent
5 hrs
Number of Tasks
2
The high-fidelity wireframe above was tested by a total of 11 people. Each tester was given the following tasks:
You would like to get some things done on your to-do/task list. You decide that you'd like to start a session and complete 4 tasks
Start a new session and select the following tasks: Create outline for essay, Do Quiz 3 on Canvas, Clean out fridge, Clean bathtub and shower
The current session is set to last for 2 hours: 25 minutes per task with 5 minute breaks in between. You would like to change the time from 25 minutes per task to 45 minutes per task.
How would you go about changing the time from 25 min per task to 45 min per task?
A link to a unmoderated user test via Maze.co was sent out to stylists, peers, and other 1 on 1 interviewees.
Unmoderated Testing (Maze.co)
User testing was conducted both face to face and via Zoom. Users tested the prototype via Maze.co for recording clicks and paths.
Moderated Testing (In-Person/Zoom)
All feedback from user testing was compiled and sorted into three different categories: successes, pain points/confusion, and suggestions.
Affinity Map/Feedback Analysis
Here are the key patterns that we observed in the feedback…
Users noted that their timer app descends counter clockwise
Users noted that they would like to know the exact time that the timer will end
↓
↓
…and here are the priority revisions that we made!
Change timer to descend counter-clockwise
Add visual for when current timer is over
Priority Revision
Before
After
Final Design
Changed break color from green to red
Double checked and changed card colors to be uniform throughout the design
Changed direction of timer from clockwise to counter clockwise
Added time end for each section
Better to focus on addressing one particular need very well vs. addressing every single possible need. Trying to address every need will result in too generic of a product that does not address each need fully. I went into this project thinking that there was a way to create an app that could address almost every problem a person with ADHD could have, but there is no feasible way to do that with the time span given.
There is a fine balance between over complication and over simplification. There are times where more features and visuals are necessary and other times where simplicity is enough to solve the problem. In this case, just having a simple to do list incorporated with an adjustable pomodoro timer is enough to satisfy a need.
Checking and comparing existing solutions can be very valuable when creating something new. While researching for this project, I downloaded and tested many different productivity apps to see what current solutions were doing well and what they could do better. Most often, there are companies and solutions that are out there that work near perfect but may be missing a small element. Finding gaps in the market are valuable when create a brand new solution.
Lessons Learned
Add a level-up system or daily task incentive system (to encourage habit building)
Allow user to create sub-tasks within individual tasks
Create button that allows randomization of tasks during a session
Add sound alerts for start and end of each task/break