Project Overview: BreakSpace is an app case study taken from conception through coding.
My Role:
Goal: We set out to create a mental health app that Helps you take time for yourself by reminding you to take breaks throughout your day. Create the Space for your Breaks!
Project Plan:
User Research Planning: Created an interview plan consisting of an introduction, questions that dove into the heart of the issue, and a conclusion that kept users engaged and comfortable.
Interviewing: Executed this segment’s research as well as user testing on the Low and Mid-Fidelity wireframes.
Low through High Fidelity Wireframing: Envisioned BreakSpace from Low-Fidelity sketches through to pixel-perfect wireframes. Conducted User Testing twice through this design process.
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Research Findings
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After compiling our research into an Affinity Diagram, we found that most users fit into one of two groups when they were asked about their break habits:
From the survey results, we compiled some compelling statistics:
These user insights taught us that while users agree that “taking breaks is important,” they aren’t taking those breaks themselves. They feel weighed down by the stresses of life and feel if they stop to take a moment for themselves, they may be sacrificing career standing, income, or self-care time down the line.
For our User Persona, we went with a hard-working 34 year old named Dalia who wants a better work-life balance. She represents the target user for BreakSpace as a “workaholic” on the edge of burnout who has trouble taking time for herself.
Problem Statement
BreakSpace was designed with the anxious worker in mind. While most users do report engaging in some form of self care practices, we have observed that they do not have consistency in their mental health routine because current wellness practices are erratic and seen as an afterthought compared to the pressures of work. How might we build an app that provides a safe space for the fatigued worker to create consistent mental health/wellness practices throughout the work day and beyond?
Competitor Analysis
Once we understood our user and the problem we were trying to solve, it was time to see what else was out there! We looked into direct and indirect competitors in the Mental Health space.
Our Hypothesized Solutions
Our app would need to…..
Research Findings
After compiling our research into an Affinity Diagram, we found that most users fit into one of two groups when they were asked about their break habits:
Users who don’t take regular breaks
Overwork themselves for days, then need a whole day off as a “break”
Users who do take regular breaks during the day… but, are more stressed/anxious after as they are unable to focus on anything but the work they “should” be doing
Some users even reported both. On their day-long breaks, they still find themselves anxious about the work they need to finish.
From the survey results, we compiled some compelling statistics:
These user insights taught us that while users agree that “taking breaks is important,” they aren’t taking those breaks themselves. They feel weighed down by the stresses of life and feel if they stop to take a moment for themselves, they may be sacrificing career standing, income, or self-care time down the line.
These unfair assumptions keep users from taking action on their well-being, and leave them more likely to burn out or resort to an unsustainable all-or-nothing work schedule.
For our User Persona, we went with a hard-working 34 year old named Dalia who wants a better work-life balance. She represents the target user for BreakSpace as a “workaholic” on the edge of burnout who has trouble taking time for herself.
Problem Statement
BreakSpace was designed with the anxious worker in mind. While most users do report engaging in some form of self care practices, we have observed that they do not have consistency in their mental health routine because current wellness practices are erratic and seen as an afterthought compared to the pressures of work. How might we build an app that provides a safe space for the fatigued worker to create consistent mental health/wellness practices throughout the work day and beyond?
Competitor Analysis
Once we understood our user and the problem we were trying to solve, it was time to see what else was out there! We looked into direct and indirect competitors in the Mental Health space.
Our Hypothesized Solutions
Our app would need to…..
Research Findings
After compiling our research into an Affinity Diagram, we found that most users fit into one of two groups when they were asked about their break habits:
Users who don’t take regular breaks
Overwork themselves for days, then need a whole day off as a “break”
Users who do take regular breaks during the day
…but, are more stressed/anxious after as they are unable to focus on anything but the work they “should” be doingSome users even reported both. On their day-long breaks, they still find themselves anxious about the work they need to finish.
From the survey results, we compiled some compelling statistics: These user insights taught us that while users agree that “taking breaks is important,” they aren’t taking those breaks themselves. They feel weighed down by the stresses of life and feel if they stop to take a moment for themselves, they may be sacrificing career standing, income, or self-care time down the line.
For our User Persona, we went with a hard-working 34 year old named Dalia who wants a better work-life balance. She represents the target user for BreakSpace as a “workaholic” on the edge of burnout who has trouble taking time for herself.
Problem Statement
BreakSpace was designed with the anxious worker in mind. While most users do report engaging in some form of self care practices, we have observed that they do not have consistency in their mental health routine because current wellness practices are erratic and seen as an afterthought compared to the pressures of work. How might we build an app that provides a safe space for the fatigued worker to create consistent mental health/wellness practices throughout the work day and beyond?
Competitor Analysis
Once we understood our user and the problem we were trying to solve, it was time to see what else was out there! We looked into direct and indirect competitors in the Mental Health space.
Our Hypothesized
Solutions
Our app would need to…..
Onboarding
Before we began to wireframe our “break” flow, we needed to consider what onboarding the user would have gone through when installing and setting up the app. That process, as we envisioned it, is depicted below:
Step 1
Share your interest
Users select interests out of 8 common break options (meditation, drawing, journaling, etc)
Step 2
Set Up break times
Set how many times you want to be notified for a break per day and at what times those notifications should come.
Step 3
Change times by day
Specify break times down to the day of the week. Change your settings at any time!
Step 4
Take your first break!
Once onboarded, you’ll get a notification that it’s “break time” on your selected days at your selected times.
Step 1
Share your interest
Users select interests out of 8 common break options (meditation, drawing, journaling, etc)
Step 2
Set Up break times
Set how many times you want to be notified for a break per day and at what times those notifications should come.
Step 3
Change times by day
Specify break times down to the day of the week. Change your settings at any time!
Step 4
Take your first break!
Once onboarded, you’ll get a notification that it’s “break time” on your selected days at your selected times.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
During Low and Mid Fidelity User Testing we discovered several points that could be iterated upon to create a more intuitive User Flow. We decided:
Using the User Testing as a blueprint, we created a Style Guide and iterated on our Low and Mid-Fidelity Wireframes to create the final, pixel-perfect prototype.
Coding BreakSpace
Once it was wireframed, we moved onto coding the app using Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and Git. The coded version of this flow (complete with animations) can be found here.
Conclusion
So, what did we learn here? We researched to find out what anxious workers actually needed from the app. We identified the problem. We came up with an artful solution.
Where do we go from here?
Next steps could include:
Want to see how this case study presents? Download the slide deck!
