1. MAKE A BREAK
Solving a problem for Monica

2. UXDI PROJECT 1: MAKE A BREAK
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Project: Applying concepts and techniques taught in class, the UXDi students will create a mobile app tappable
prototype that solves a problem for a specific user. The concepts and techniques that you will see at work in this
presentation and prototype are:
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Initial User Research: Getting to know users behavior
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Participatory research
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Problem articulation
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Basic, non-digital sketching
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Usability testing: hypothesis testing and iteration development
!
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Make a Break Make a Break is a mobile app designed to motivate the user to break from work and, in the long
term, achieve more by feeling refreshed from her break. It would like to provide a gentle interruption of the
user’s attention and to provide tailor-made content by culling and presenting educational, health and cultural
material from web resources. The app limits functionality in order to achieve its primary goal as well as to protect
against further distraction.

3. LOOKING FOR A PROBLEM
Monica is a hard-worker who places high value in productivity.
As a freelancer, she works from home, with no one except an equally hard-working boyfriend to distract her.
She frequently does not take breaks.
Lack of variety in the breaks she does manage to take.
In the end, she always feels better and does better work if she takes a break.

4. THE PROBLEM AND THE
HYPOTHESIS
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The Problem: Monica needs
motivation to take a short break
from work on a regular basis.
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Hypothesis: make an alarm
system that provides break-time
and time-limited activities that
will interest and engage the user.
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My first design iteration focused
primarily on the set-up. I tried to
make all three categories of user
input readily available.

7. USABILITY TEST WITH
MONICA
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Results
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More access to home
page
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More fun, more humour
(e.g. “We’ll be back”)
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More motivation to do
the activity

8. USABILITY TEST WITH OLIVER
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Results
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Would like more linear efficiency
in the settings.
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Found the snooze break too short.
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During breaks: did not use the
‘next’ button intuitively.
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He thought he would use the app
— for a bit — adding that there
needs to be some function for
creating a habit. He suggested that
the app be “gameified.”

9. USABILITY TEST WITH
TATIANA
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Results
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Two goals at work in the
app. Each goal should be
separated out.
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During breaks: did not use
‘next’ button intuitively.
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Suggested that ‘snooze’
feature be even harder to
activate.