Instrumental
Motivating users to take fulfilling breaks by stepping away from their workspace, allowing them to develop a healthier mindset of taking breaks and working as well as to help identify their optimal work and break habits to prevent burnout.
Project Timeline
January - May 2023
20 weeks
Chung Wei Jin
Jessica Lam
Jake Aicher
Jack So
Stephanie Tweddle
Problem
Desk job workers, including students and designers working from home, often experience burnout due to prolonged work sessions without taking breaks, leading to chronic workplace stress that affects their well-being, quality of work, and work-life balance.
Solution
Instrumental is a work companion that encourages you to take breaks and step away from your work environment by creating unique songs inspired by the places you visit during your breaks.
My Role(s)
As the Project Lead and Interaction designer, my main role was to align the team's goals and vision for the project. I made sure that everyone worked together smoothly to meet our goals. I also focused on how the physical product connects with the digital platform and how all the different pieces fit together.
Vision Video
What is Burnout?
Burnout is a condition where people’s emotional, physical and mental exhaustion is caused by stress which is shown in their work and life.
Why is this important?
Have you ever wanted to indulge yourself in your hobbies, but you feel too tired or burnout from your day-to-day work life?
This is a serious issue that has a lot of solutions to help people deal with burnout, but among all these ‘solutions’ there is a lack of prevention of it in the first place. So we wanted to dive into ways we could help prevent and avoid burnout rather than create another solution to help deal with it.
Many desk job workers, like students, and other people who work from home, often experience burnout due to prolonged work sessions without taking breaks, and as you may come to learn, it eventually affects their well-being, quality of work and their work-life balance.
Research findings
People feel guilty taking breaks
People do not understand the importance of taking breaks
What you do on your breaks are important
How Might We?
How Might We help users understand the importance and participate in breaks despite a busy schedule?
How Might We clarify goals in a fun way without making it a burden?
How Might We integrate user’s daily routines without interfering with their break quality?
Components
Instrumental consists of a physical device and a mobile app.
The Instrumental device
The Instrumental device, serves a dual purpose by not only promoting concentration and focus but also effectively reducing users' dependency on their phone screens.
In a world where distractions are abundant, this gadget takes center stage as a valuable tool for those seeking to quickstart a productive work session. Its sleek design and user-friendly interface provide a seamless experience, allowing individuals to effortlessly delve into their tasks without any unnecessary disruptions. Moreover, in order to cultivate healthy work habits, the device also tracks fidgeting habits, offering valuable insights into potential areas for improvement.
The Mobile App
The mobile app plays a crucial role in enhancing the overall user experience by seamlessly integrating with the physical device. It goes beyond just setting up preferences for breaks and generative music.
With its intuitive interface, users can easily navigate through various features and functionalities. They can not only monitor their break patterns but also delve into detailed insights generated from their work sessions. These insights provide valuable information on how effectively they are incorporating breaks into their workflow. Additionally, the app has a unique feature that allows users to revisit and listen to the mesmerizing generative music they have created. This not only serves as a source of inspiration but also adds a touch of personalization to their workspace.
Core Features
Break Management
To help users customize their break durations and preferred frequency, Instrumental would take note and offer recommendations.
Generative Music
Improving reading and writing comprehension through unique lofi generative music inspired by the locations you go on your breaks, duration of it, and the distance from your working environment
Work/Break habit analysis
detailed analysis of their work habits, highlighting areas of their work sessions and offering more personalized recommendations based on the user’s work patterns and productivity levels.
Our Process
For the full story of Instrumental, download our process book. This case study just touches the surface.
Instrumental Process Book
What I Learned
Never be afraid to pivot from your original topic of interest when the research suggests so.
It is important to identify and understand your target audience.
When thinking about a product, it is best to avoid behavioral changes to allow seamless integration and habitual use.
Moving Forward
I want to test out ideas and concepts sooner even if the idea isn’t fully fleshed out.
I will aim to foster a stronger sense of unity among the team, promote open communication, and create an environment where everyone feels comfortable being open and honest.
