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Timewise

Context

Timewise is a mobile app designed to help young adults build healthier relationships with their screens. Developed as part of the Social Interaction course in the MSc Human-Computer Interaction program, this project explored how behavioral science and gamification can support self-regulation and wellbeing.

Duration

1 month

Team

7 teammates

Role

UX Researcher and Designer

Tools

Figma

Problem

Young adults find difficulties self-regulating screentime spent on online activities for personal entertainment.

Many people want to reduce their screentime but fail to accomplish their goal. How might we help them reduce screen time without making them feel restricted or judged?

Target Group

Individuals in the preparation, action, or maintenance stage.

Solution

Timewise, a mobile application designed to help adults between 18-30 years reduce their screen time through various techniques inspired by behavioral science and gamification. 

The application uses behavioral nudges and gamification to make users more conscious not more controlled:

Digital nudges (active & passive): perspective-shifting, app shuffling, selective grayscale, and interrupting the "immersion" state
Gamification & motivation: feedback system and reminder notifications

The application uses behavioral nudges and gamification to make users more conscious not more controlled:

Digital nudges (active & passive): perspective-shifting, app shuffling, selective grayscale, and interrupting the "immersion" state
Gamification & motivation: feedback system and reminder notifications

The application uses behavioral nudges and gamification to make users more conscious not more controlled:

Digital nudges (active & passive): perspective-shifting, app shuffling, selective grayscale, and interrupting the "immersion" state
Gamification & motivation: feedback system and reminder notifications

Meditation app image

Step 1: Choose a Plan

  • Sets a personal intention, not a hard limit

  • Activates intrinsic motivation from the start

  • User feels in control before anything begins

Step 2: Select Apps to Resign

  • The app provides the screentime on each app and user identifies their most distracting one

  • Naming the habit primes awareness before nudges activate

  • Only selected apps are affected, full autonomy preserved

Meditation app image
Meditation app image

Step 3: Select Hobbies

  • User picks offline activities they genuinely enjoy

  • When immersion break triggers, one hobby is surfaced as an alternative

Step 4: Create Friction

  • Grayscale, app shuffling, and immersion breaks activate passively

  • No ongoing effort required from the user

  • The design works in the background, habit change without willpower

Meditation app image

Research and Design Process

The first challenge was communicating the long-term impact of screen time in a way that felt tangible rather than abstract.

I explored several visualizations to make time, habits, and future consequences more meaningful before converging on the final experience.

I explored several visualizations to make time, habits, and future consequences more meaningful before converging on the final experience.

I explored several visualizations to make time, habits, and future consequences more meaningful before converging on the final experience.

Meditation app image
Meditation app image
Meditation app image
Meditation app image

I continued by drawing insights from research articles about behavioral science and which techniques succeeded/ failed at helping people reduce their screentime.

I continued by drawing insights from research articles about behavioral science and which techniques succeeded/ failed at helping people reduce their screentime.

I continued by drawing insights from research articles about behavioral science and which techniques succeeded/ failed at helping people reduce their screentime.

The Main Insight:

The Main Insight:

The Main Insight:

Based on other articles, I gathered the main insights that can guide design decisions related to the friction features. I followed a theory-driven process in which every feature traced back to a specific behavioral mechanism.

Based on other articles, I gathered the main insights that can guide design decisions related to the friction features. I followed a theory-driven process in which every feature traced back to a specific behavioral mechanism.

Based on other articles, I gathered the main insights that can guide design decisions related to the friction features. I followed a theory-driven process in which every feature traced back to a specific behavioral mechanism.

  • App Shuffling
  • Selective Grayscale
  • Take a breath
  • App Shuffling
  • Selective Grayscale
  • Take a breath

Feedback and Motivation

Dynamic Daily Challenges/ Streak Success System/ Leaderboard and Stages/ Interactive Progress Tracking/ Reward Points and Incentives.

Reminder Notifications

Reminders are especially effective in the beginning. Three Reminders to promote goal compliance since it is the tolerated amount by users.

Final Product

Final Product

Final Product

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned

This was my first UX project and looking back, I can see exactly what I'd do differently. The brief only asked us to identify and solve a social problem, we chose to go further and prototype a solution. That decision pushed me to translate research into real design decisions for the first time, and showed me how much harder and more rewarding it is to move from insight to interface.

  • I learned that behavioral science is a design tool, not just theory. Grounding every feature in a specific mechanism (nudge theory, bottom-up processing, autonomy preservation) gave our team a shared language for making decisions instead of arguing about personal preference.

What I'd do differently next time.

  • I would have grounded persona creation in research interviews. We defined our target user based on paper research. Running even 3–5 short interviews first would have sharpened the problem definition and made our design decisions harder to challenge.

  • I would test with real users. We validated within the team, but never with actual young adults who struggle with screen time. I'd want to know: do these nudges feel helpful or patronising in real life?

  • I would also measure behavioral impact. Does the grayscale filter actually reduce time on distracting apps? A two-week follow-up study tracking screen time before and after would turn a design concept into real evidence.

  • I would have grounded persona creation in research interviews. We defined our target user based on paper research. Running even 3–5 short interviews first would have sharpened the problem definition and made our design decisions harder to challenge.

  • I would test with real users. We validated within the team, but never with actual young adults who struggle with screen time. I'd want to know: do these nudges feel helpful or patronising in real life?

  • I would also measure behavioral impact. Does the grayscale filter actually reduce time on distracting apps? A two-week follow-up study tracking screen time before and after would turn a design concept into real evidence.

  • I would have grounded persona creation in research interviews. We defined our target user based on paper research. Running even 3–5 short interviews first would have sharpened the problem definition and made our design decisions harder to challenge.

  • I would test with real users. We validated within the team, but never with actual young adults who struggle with screen time. I'd want to know: do these nudges feel helpful or patronising in real life?

  • I would also measure behavioral impact. Does the grayscale filter actually reduce time on distracting apps? A two-week follow-up study tracking screen time before and after would turn a design concept into real evidence.

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