How might we make studying at home more conducive
and therapeutic?
Final Year Project, Sep 2022 - Nov 2022
My role
Lead Designer
Supervised by Roy Foo
What I did
User Research
Design Research
Ideation
3D Modelling
Prototyping
UI Design
UX Design
Art Direction
Brand Design
Software
Adobe XD
Rhino 3D
KeyShot
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft PowerPoint
Results
Won the Motorola Solutions Winner Award.
Demonstrated a working prototype of Tomo and GoTo.
The Problem
The 'New Normal' has blurred the lines between work and home, leaving students struggling to find a balance between their personal life and study commitments. With the blurred boundaries, many found themselves either in a constant state of work or too addicted to social media, unable to disconnect and recharge. This lack of boundary heightened stress levels, affecting their physical and mental health. Hence, the situation highlights the need for support systems that can help students manage their time effectively and maintain a healthy balance, even in a
home-based learning environment.
Primary Research
1. Survey
I conducted an online survey with 62 respondents aged 17-21.
"How many hours do you spend studying at home during Home-based Learning (HBL)?"
"How many hours do you spend taking a break during HBL?"
"Any challenges you faced during HBL?"
"How do you feel about HBL?"
2. Zoom Interviews
To gain deeper insights about the problem, I interviewed four stakeholders.
"Walk me through your day before Covid-19."
"Walk me through your day after Covid-19."
"Do you face any challenges during the New Normal? If so, how do you cope with
those challenges?"
3. Main Findings
3.1. Emotions mentioned are more negative than positive.
Sad, Doubtful, Lazy, Anxious, Lonely, Stressed, Tired, Empty
3.2. All challenges faced studying and working from home boils down to habit because people associate home as a place where it’s not a conducive environment to do work.
I drew mind maps based on my primary and secondary research to break down the findings and identify connections.
So, How Might We...
make studying at home more conducive
and therapeutic?
Ideation
Wild Ideas
Finalising 3 Main Concepts
From hundreds of iterations and sketches, three concepts were chosen to garner user feedback.
01
GAMI
02
POKE
03
SAYANG
Six stakeholders were provided additional renders and descriptions of the three concepts. Later on, they were tasked to rank the 3 concepts in terms of: Form, Function and Suggestions.
Concepts Chosen
Form: Sayang
Function: Poke
Suggestions
"Smoother Curves"
"It would be better with a screen and interactive eyes!"
"Having a customisable timer function instead of a fixed pomodoro timer would be more flexible since everyone has different needs."
"How about encouraging words to help with stressful moments?"
Evaluation and Refinement
Prototyping - Tomo
Skeleton and Foam
Electrical Components
I went to Sim Lim Tower to consult professional engineers on the electrical components and circuit needed to make Tomo come to life.
3D Printing
With my CAD model from Rhino 3D, I 3D printed Tomo in various parts so that it could be assembled.
Assembling
Assembling the circuit with the components was not an easy feat, but I am thankful that my lecturer Terence Loh guided me throughout the process.
Prototyping - GoTo
Wireframing
To better help with visualising the flow of GoTo. Due to the limited time frame, I designed only
three processes.
When the user is:
1. Signing up
2. Focusing
3. Journalling
Adobe XD
After coming up with the wireframes, I started the prototyping on Adobe XD, creating vectors and icons
on Illustrator.
Branding
Logo
Inspired by the back view of Tomo and the letter G from GoTo.
Font
Poppins
Main Brand Colours
#E89CB3
#B380DB
#947A72
#4C56DE
#3441D4
Signing Up
Focus, Journal, Review
GoTo only has three main functions to avoid distractions. The icons are consistent with the logo - simple, round, line.
Focusing
At the same time, the user will be interacting with Tomo by petting Tomo's head to change the focus mode.
Journalling
Aside from being a study buddy, Tomo also acts as a confident, allowing the user to express their feelings in their e-diary, GoTo.
The Real Deal
Takeaways
1. No Man Is an Island
Although this was a one-woman project, it was the unconditional support, guidance and encouragement from my lecturers and peers that helped reach this level of achievement. This made me realise the importance of having a team and that behind every individual success, there is always a collective force acting as their stepping stones.
2. App Refinements
As I started GoTo with little knowledge about UI/UX design but ended the project with a huge passion and hunger to improve myself in the UI/UX space, I should conduct more user research, journey map and prototyping to improve the functionality of GoTo when I have additional time outside of the project deadline.
3. Product Refinements
For Tomo, the form could be refined while still maintaining its functions. For example, the 'tail' of Tomo is quite bulky and it would improve the aesthetic if the diffuser can be integrated inside its shell.
