Brayk
My brother-in-law, a developer, and I were discussing the addictive nature of phones. He said he wished there was an app that could freeze all of your non-essential phone apps. I was intrigued by the idea and we agreed that if I designed a product, he would work on the coding. So began the genesis of “brayk.”
Role: UI/UX designer, branding, marketing
Process: Personas, Competitive analysis, information architecture, user flow, low-fi & hi-fi prototyping, branding design
Tools: Adobe XD, Balsalmiq, Adobe Illustrator
<span data-metadata=""><span data-buffer="">The problem
I knew many people who perpetually seemed to be on their phone but wanted to see if there was a real need for an app like brayk. I read through several research papers to learn about phone addiction and its affect on students and employers.
47% of parents surveyed believe their child has a smartphone addiction.
Sleep deficit, anxiety, stress, and depression which are all associated with internet abuse, have been related to mobile phone usage too.
- US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
74% of Americans feel uneasy leaving their phone at home
The plan
I wanted to create an app that would help break addictive phone habits by locking select apps. This project required a high-fidelity mockup for users and prototype testing. I knew that simply getting rid of one’s phone was not an option for many users. Ultimately, the phone app should help users fight the pull of other phone apps.
Empathize
Define
Ideate
Prototype
Test
Empathizing with our users
Based on the research, those most affected by phone addiction are millennials followed by Gen X. I knew I would be targeting users in their 20s and 30s with active social media profiles. They would likely find they had limited concentration and found themselves unable to stop using their phones despite pressing projects and tasks.Â
Highs and lows of the user's journey
The user journey follows Jack as he attempts to stay focused throughout finals using brayk. This end-to-end experience allowed me to focus on a user’s emotional high and low points and how the app could best mediate those reactions. I know intrinsic motivation can drive more meaningful engagement with a product. I therefore kept track of user engagement and tied it back to time saved.
UI
I chose colors that were calming and not energetic. Blues and greens tend to be colors of peace and tranquility while the grays are neutral and easy on the eyes.
Reviews and revisions
I drastically changed the app design and architecture over the course of this project. I performed moderated user tests on two different prototypes each with five users. I received feedback on visuals and experience each time.
Initial design
I wanted to make the original design plain and straigtforward and in no way visually compelling. I quickly learned that users perceived the app as “old” and “clunky.”
Introduction
I wanted to have an opening FRE experience but focused too much on not making the app engaging and less on user appeal. The design ended up with one that felt dated and dark. Users had a hard time returning to their app list if they wanted to change their chosen apps.
Information Architecture
The flow went through a few transitions over the course of the project as I determined what would be easiest for users to follow. Initially, I designed the app to be locked by duration and schedule. This required a separate user flow for each. After running through the prototype with users, I received feedback that it was confusing and people could not figure out how to get back home. There needed to be a faster way to return to the key elements.
I changed to a calendar model where users could book a lock immediately or in the future. This proved easier with users as everyone was familiar with their phone’s calendar app.
Finished designs
The final design used many Apple iPhone elements for more efficient development. After running prototypes with 6 people, I simplified the opening user experience and changed the scheduling elements to look more like the calendar on one’s phone. I gamified the app by tracking weekly, monthly and yearly hours saved and giving users goals based on their performance.
Users have five opening screens to introduce brayk and share key features. This FRE experience was missing from the initial design forcing users to learn on their own.
Users go through the app like they would most calendar apps on the phone. Instead of naming the event, users pick the apps they lock
