UIUX Design
UX Research
Product Design
Oct 2022 - Nov 2022
Figma
Rhinoceros 3D
DotPad is a tablet with a customizable interface created specifically for organization purposes. Users can effortlessly jot down and rearrange their to-dos, schedules, and other tasks. They can also check their task timeline and history, which in effect can provide them with a sense of accomplishment.
→ Final project for the class How Do We Work, taught by Ayako Takase and Cutter Hutton.
How might we help people feel more accomplished?
A tablet for organization purposes that mimics the customization of a written journal with the technological power of a computer software.
→ Interface can be seen in a horizontal or vertical view.
→ Rotate device 90º to switch between views.
→ Drag, slide, and drop sidebar to your desired placement.
→ Shows the amount of tasks the user has completed.
→ Different colors correspond to different tasks (to be customized by the user).
→ Pinch to view in hourly, weekly, monthly, or yearly view.
→ Shortcuts are easily sketch-able symbols that a user can utilize to tag tasks under different subcategories.
→ Subcategories are determined by the user when creating shortcuts.
→ Write task on the DotPad & tag with a shorthand, if desired.
→ Click icon on top right corner to turn handwriting into digital text.
→ Draw square to create a checkbox.
→ Drag and drop task anywhere. Board automatically makes space.
→ Check checkbox to complete task.
→ Cross out task to remove.
→ Completed tasks are automatically moved into "screen history" section (found in sidebar).
→ Began ideation by thinking of opposing ideals in a workplace that can create an unbalanced atmosphere.
The effects of mundane & excessive tasks
→ To improve working efficiency and bolster motivation, there is a need to reduce burnout & boreout.
→ One potential avenue is to explore catering more towards different peoples’ workstyles and their individual organizational needs.
of respondents feel like they’re wasting time when given repetitive work.
feel tasks can seem insignificant and useless, as if they’re not progressing.
of people surveyed believe they suffer varying extremities of boredom or burnout.
Work-style balance & organization: the way a person thinks, structures, organizes, and completes their work.
Long-term results of a personalized work-style:
Increased productivity
Less burnout & boredom
More positive frame of mind
Overall, task managers help people organize, but do not provide a sense of achievement due to interface rigidity and lack of certain functions.
Planners, notebooks, & other variations of paper are commonly used to note tasks, but they lack the versatility of a digital interface.
Overall, task managers help people organize, but do not provide a sense of achievement due to interface rigidity and lack of certain functions.
Tasklist Location
“I keep my tasks in front of me because seeing how much I complete motivates me to complete more.”
Convenience
“I would use my journal more because hand writing helps me organize, but using my computer is just so convenient”
Task Organization
"I sort [my tasks] based on when I need to complete them...if it’s for home or work...and which one I should prioritize...”
New form of working
→ Nowadays, horizontal "grey-area" space is mainly used for storage, jotting down quick notes, and is simply just a space for other tools to sit.
→ The horizontal workspace is seldom utilized for work purposes anymore.
Utilizing "grey-area" space
→ Horizontal workspace could be "grey-area" for informal note-taking & conversations.
→ Informality allows freedom of jotting down notes without restrictions, which brings back the "journaling" way of note-taking.
I tested my design on 10 users that ranged from 20-32 years old.
Design gave short term feelings of accomplishment.
→ "I did this, I get to check things off" - Female, 23
→ Timeline idea was appreciated.
→ Horizontal placement provided satisfaction.
Customizing the tablet's workspace was useful in minimizing mundaneness.
→ Made workstyle feel less formal.
→ Customization gave users mode freedom.
→ Lessened tasks feeling too boring or repetitive.
Communicating with others would get legally messy.
General consensus is that this feature would not help with mundaneness or feeling accomplished.
Size of product is too large.
Wished for product to fit snugly onto their workplace, but still be portable [hybrid working & usable both in work & home settings].
After testing my design and receiving the above feedback, I conducted further research by interviewing more people about their desk space habits.
To model the size of the tablet, I cut out strips of paper of varying sizes and had interviewees place paper on their workspaces. For testing the different tools that could be on the interface, I cut out strips of paper indicating different tools and had interviewees place them around the interface. I then transferred the most preferred size into Figma.
Add notation method [ex. quick notes, stickers]
Gravity: make horizontal & vertical, interviewees had split preferences.
Timeline is too harsh on the eyes.
Lock and pen indicator look like buttons rather than indicators.
There should be ways to reorganize your screen.
Interface is too long. Inconvenient because it exceeds the dimensional standards of normal electronic objects.
Interviewees want a way to condense the menu to optimize writing space.
