onUs
Encouraging group-based accountability for screen addiction.
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
Feb 2025-Feb 2025
TEAM
Product Designers (3)
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onUs
Encouraging group-based accountability for screen addiction.
ROLE
Product Designer
TIMELINE
Feb 2025-Feb 2025
OVERVIEW
onUs is a collaborative, group-based digital detoxing platform that targets individuals who wish to reduce their screen times. Features such as daily streaks, group chats, widget notifications, and interactive progress bars work together to encourage users to keep up their progress in moderating their phone usage.
THE PROBLEM
We waste most of our life on our phones; the average adult spends five hours on their phones daily. This excessive phone use is negatively impacting the mental health, productivity, and social intelligence of many, particularly those of younger demographics like Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Though many adults have tried to reduce their screen times, 74% struggle to successfully do so, with the main reasons being the lack of self-control and willpower, the addictive nature of doomscrolling, and the ease in which it takes to bypass app blockers and screen time limits.
Deciding to reduce one's screen time is usually an independent commitment, one that is upheld only by the individual that desires a digital detox. Some think a goal like this requires little effort to achieve, but find themselves struggling to stick to it because there is no one to hold them accountable but themselves.
APPROACH
RESEARCH
My team conducted three user interviews to document the impacts of excessive phone use on personal productivity and mood, as well as to discuss their prior experiences with digital detox apps in order to identify recurring habits. From these interviews, we discovered that dissatisfaction with phone usage and corresponding high screen times is the largest complaint among users. Preemptive actions such as setting screen limits, using digital detox apps, and even deleting potentially addicting apps were seen as ineffective.
A competitive and comparative analysis of apps such as Opal and Locket revealed that apps prompting users to address screen time habits had low user retention, while apps emphasizing group participation were rising in popularity. help our team further narrow down effective app features. We created a user persona, Sam the student, based on these findings to address user pain points and determine potential features that could help with phone addiction.
MID-FIDELITY
My team and I focused on designing a visually engaging, yet not particularly addictive interface to decrease the possibilities of becoming a counteractive app. We decided to omit the customary navigation bar used in social media platforms with the goal of tackling the muscle memory of scrolling through different pages, and consequently spending more time on said platforms. The group page acts as our app's landing page and contains all significant information such as the group's collective progress and past statistics. We designed it this way so that users can view and keep track of their progress in one browse, thus minimizing screen time. User profile pictures take up a large proportion of the page to evoke the impression of face to face connection as well as to amplify the feeling of accountability. When one person in the group exceeds the established screen time limit, the landing page displays their photo front and center for the entire group to see.
HI-FIDELITY
Our hi-fi designs centered on introducing components and colors that would be appealing enough to draw users in. We opted for a bright blue and green to act as pops of color against the almost-black background, which was selected due to its ability to trick one's body into thinking it is nighttime. This can be especially useful when users are scrolling through their phones before sleeping because it may persuade users to exit the app.
The addition of components such as progress bars and weekly screen time graphs allow users to follow their journeys and note patterns in their screen time. Icons like the fire symbol used in the daily streaks feature combined with a number that increases daily (if every group member upholds the time limit) are implemented as positive reinforcement for users.
REFLECTION
onUs was created over the span of 24 hours as a submission for Design Fest, a design-a-thon hosted by UC Davis' Design Interactive group. Within this short time frame, I learned so much about what constitutes a product that successfully centers the human experience and the importance of strategic design choices when it comes to designing projects you want to be meaningful. Though this design-a-thon was definitely a challenge, it was also a valuable test of speed and skill for me. Having to brainstorm and execute product concepts under the established time frame challenged my usual approach to UI/UX design and helped me to break out of my design bubble. In terms of working with my team, intentional communication proved to be effective communication, as it made following the design process from start to finish much smoother.
This project was also driven by the guidance of a few industry mentors who offered industry-relevant advice regarding the UX research we were conducting. I deeply appreciated and resonated with the advice I received about honing in on the emotional impacts of design because it is an essential aspect of designing for the human experience.
In the end, our project earned a Top 10 spot out of around 30 submissions.
THE TEAM
OVERVIEW
onUs is a collaborative, group-based digital detoxing platform that targets individuals who wish to reduce their screen times. Features such as daily streaks, group chats, widget notifications, and interactive progress bars work together to encourage users to keep up their progress in moderating their phone usage.
THE PROBLEM
We waste most of our life on our phones; the average adult spends five hours on their phones daily. This excessive phone use is negatively impacting the mental health, productivity, and social intelligence of many, particularly those of younger demographics like Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Though many adults have tried to reduce their screen times, 74% struggle to successfully do so, with the main reasons being the lack of self-control and willpower, the addictive nature of doomscrolling, and the ease in which it takes to bypass app blockers and screen time limits.
Deciding to reduce one's screen time is usually an independent commitment, one that is upheld only by the individual that desires a digital detox. Some think a goal like this requires little effort to achieve, but find themselves struggling to stick to it because there is no one to hold them accountable but themselves.
APPROACH
RESEARCH
My team conducted three user interviews to document the impacts of excessive phone use on personal productivity and mood, as well as to discuss their prior experiences with digital detox apps in order to identify recurring habits. From these interviews, we discovered that dissatisfaction with phone usage and corresponding high screen times is the largest complaint among users. Preemptive actions such as setting screen limits, using digital detox apps, and even deleting potentially addicting apps were seen as ineffective.
A competitive and comparative analysis of apps such as Opal and Locket revealed that apps prompting users to address screen time habits had low user retention, while apps emphasizing group participation were rising in popularity. help our team further narrow down effective app features. We created a user persona, Sam the student, based on these findings to address user pain points and determine potential features that could help with phone addiction.
MID-FIDELITY
My team and I focused on designing a visually engaging, yet not particularly addictive interface to decrease the possibilities of becoming a counteractive app. We decided to omit the customary navigation bar used in social media platforms with the goal of tackling the muscle memory of scrolling through different pages, and consequently spending more time on said platforms. The group page acts as our app's landing page and contains all significant information such as the group's collective progress and past statistics. We designed it this way so that users can view and keep track of their progress in one browse, thus minimizing screen time. User profile pictures take up a large proportion of the page to evoke the impression of face to face connection as well as to amplify the feeling of accountability. When one person in the group exceeds the established screen time limit, the landing page displays their photo front and center for the entire group to see.
HI-FIDELITY
Our hi-fi designs centered on introducing components and colors that would be appealing enough to draw users in. We opted for a bright blue and green to act as pops of color against the almost-black background, which was selected due to its ability to trick one's body into thinking it is nighttime. This can be especially useful when users are scrolling through their phones before sleeping because it may persuade users to exit the app.
The addition of components such as progress bars and weekly screen time graphs allow users to follow their journeys and note patterns in their screen time. Icons like the fire symbol used in the daily streaks feature combined with a number that increases daily (if every group member upholds the time limit) are implemented as positive reinforcement for users.
REFLECTION
onUs was created over the span of 24 hours as a submission for Design Fest, a design-a-thon hosted by UC Davis' Design Interactive group. Within this short time frame, I learned so much about what constitutes a product that successfully centers the human experience and the importance of strategic design choices when it comes to designing projects you want to be meaningful. Though this design-a-thon was definitely a challenge, it was also a valuable test of speed and skill for me. Having to brainstorm and execute product concepts under the established time frame challenged my usual approach to UI/UX design and helped me to break out of my design bubble. In terms of working with my team, intentional communication proved to be effective communication, as it made following the design process from start to finish much smoother.
This project was also driven by the guidance of a few industry mentors who offered industry-relevant advice regarding the UX research we were conducting. I deeply appreciated and resonated with the advice I received about honing in on the emotional impacts of design because it is an essential aspect of designing for the human experience.
In the end, our project earned a Top 10 spot out of around 30 submissions.
THE TEAM