Prionote

An ADHD Widget Application

Context & My Role

As part of a collaborative group project, my two team members and I set out to develop a solution for a pressing issue affecting neurodivergent individuals in the workplace. With a particular focus on adults with ADHD, we leveraged our understanding of how this condition influences organization and attention.

Recognizing the need for a tailored approach, we conducted comprehensive research to identify specific pain points experienced by adults with ADHD in professional settings. This involved interviews, immersion, and a guided tour to gather insights into their unique challenges, such as difficulties in time management, prioritizing tasks, and maintaining focus during lengthy projects.

In this project, my role encompassed various critical aspects, including:

Brainstorming: Collaborating with my team to generate innovative ideas for our solution.
Research: Conducting thorough investigations to understand the challenges faced by adults with ADHD in the workplace.
Interviews: Engaging with neurodivergent individuals to gather firsthand insights about their experiences.
Data Synthesis and Analysis: Analyzing the information collected to identify key themes and trends.
Design Assistance: Contributing to the design of our proposed solution, ensuring it was user-centered and effective.
Presentation: Communicating our findings and proposed solution to stakeholders, highlighting the importance of inclusivity in the workplace.

Through this process, we aimed to design a solution that not only addresses these challenges but also empowers neurodivergent individuals to thrive in their work environments. Our final proposal includes the creation of a widget as part of an app.

Timeline

The research timeline spanned approximately four months and included the following stages:

Brainstorming: We began by identifying three potential problems. After thorough discussion, we selected focusing on adults with ADHD and planned our research approach.

Conducting Research: This phase involved both primary and secondary research to gather comprehensive insights into the challenges experienced by our target audience.

Refining the Design Problem: We synthesized the research findings and analyzed the data to refine our design problem. From this, we developed three potential solutions.

Final Solution and Prototype Presentation: In the last stage, we selected the most viable solution and created a prototype to present to stakeholders.

Research statement & goals

Why We Chose ADHD:

ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) affects approximately 4-6% of adults and 5-7% of children, equating to about 1.8 million Canadians. Given its prevalence, we recognized the significant challenges that adults with ADHD face in professional settings.

Main Goals:

Our primary objectives were to increase productivity and optimize work experiences for individuals with ADHD, particularly in relation to common workplace issues such as:

Noisy environments
Hyperactivity
Impulsivity
Emotion regulation

Initial Key Statement:

We formulated our initial key statement as follows:

"Late-diagnosed adults (19 or older) with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder who are seeking to be productive in communal spaces without exhibiting behaviours that interfere with the normal functioning, harmony, and comfort of said shared environment."

This statement guided our research and design efforts, ensuring that our proposed solutions were aligned with the needs of our target audience.

Research Methodology

Our research methodology was designed to gather comprehensive insights into the experiences of individuals with ADHD in various work environments. The following components were integral to our approach:

Interviews: We conducted in-depth interviews with 10 participants (5 male and 5 female) who have different types of ADHD. This allowed us to capture a diverse range of perspectives and experiences.

Immersion Experience: We spent time in an ADHD-specialized co-working space, interacting with 8 individuals. This immersion provided us with firsthand observations of the challenges and strategies employed in a supportive work environment.

Guided Home Tour: We conducted a guided tour of the home of an individual who works from home. This experience offered valuable insights into the unique challenges faced by remote workers with ADHD, particularly regarding their workspaces and daily routines.

Through these methodologies, we aimed to develop a nuanced understanding of the needs and pain points of adults with ADHD, which informed our design solutions.

Sample Interview questions

Analysis and Synthesis

In our analysis and synthesis phase, we transcribed all the interview data and systematically sorted the responses into categories. This process enabled us to uncover insightful statements and key themes relevant to our research.

We then engaged in thematic grouping, which led us to creating personas and identify five significant gaps in the workplace environment for adults with ADHD:

Management Gaps: Managers often lack the know-how to effectively manage individuals with ADHD, resulting in misunderstandings and missed opportunities for support.

Colleague Presence: The presence of colleagues is a double-edged sword—while it can foster productivity, it also serves as a significant distraction, complicating focus and concentration.

Symptom Minimization: Late-diagnosed adults with ADHD frequently minimize their symptoms, leading to inaction and a reluctance to request necessary accommodations.

Stigmatization of Strategies: Effective strategies such as mental breaks and task switching, which are beneficial for individuals with ADHD, are often stigmatized in the workplace, hindering their implementation.

Lack of Awareness: There is a widespread lack of awareness regarding ADHD treatment options among individuals affected by the condition, which can limit their ability to seek help and utilize available resources.

Final Solution & Prototype

Our reflection on the project prompted us to revise our key statement to:

"Those with late-diagnosed ADHD (inattentive, combined, hyperactive) were not the perpetrators of distractions and noise in communal workplaces but were rather the ones most conscious of their own impact on the harmony and comfort of said shared environment."

Selected Solution:

We designed a sleek and user-friendly app that seamlessly integrates into a convenient home screen widget. This app enables users to view their prioritized tasks and deadlines at a glance. Key features include:

Home Screen Widget Integration: Users can access their tasks directly from their wallpaper without unlocking their device.

Voice-to-Text Feature: This allows users to effortlessly dictate notes and ideas on the go, converting their thoughts into actionable tasks or insightful notes that can be auto-prioritized based on deadlines or a user-defined priority rating of 1-5.

User-Centric Content: The app employs empathic communication to enhance user experience.

Customizable Prioritization: Users can adjust how tasks are prioritized based on their individual needs.

Competitive Analysis:

To ensure our solution stands out in the market, we conducted a competitive analysis to evaluate existing applications. This analysis helped us identify gaps in current offerings and confirm that our app addresses specific needs of adults with ADHD, providing unique features that enhance productivity and organization.

Impact & Recommendations

The impact of our solution lies in its potential to enhance productivity and organization for adults with ADHD by offering an accessible, user-friendly tool tailored to their unique challenges. By integrating empathic communication, voice-to-text functionality, and customizable prioritization, the app promotes effective task management while reducing the stigma around strategies like mental breaks and task switching. For future development, we recommend developing the app, expanding compatibility to other operating systems, incorporating feedback from a larger user base, and exploring partnerships with mental health professionals to further refine features that support emotional regulation and workplace well-being.