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Project Proposal: Creating a Digital Wellness Application Sponsored by Freedom.to

Ola Bamgbade

Joe Oh

Elizabeth Ranatza

Brianna Thompson

Jolie Tingen

INLS 779

November 29, 2022

Table of Contents

i. Introduction        2

Client        

Context

ii. Literature Review        4

         Interventions

         Surveys and Research Methods

         Reasoning         

                

iii. Methods, Procedures, and Design        10

Methods, Tools, and Standards        

Procedures and Timeline        

iv. Proposed Deliverable(s)        15

         Mobile Application        

   

v. Challenges        16

         The Deliverables

         Sustainability        

        

vi. Reflection        17

        As a group

        As individuals        

Team Appendix        19

          Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)        

                

Introduction

Part One: Client

  1. Freedom.to

 The client for this project is Freedom.to, a digital wellness technology company passionate about improving the lives of its users by increasing productivity,  limiting distractions, and allowing people the time to enrich their lives after finishing their necessary tasks. They are sponsoring us in building a digital wellness application tailored to students at UNC-Chapel Hill.

  1. Client’s Level of Involvement

The client will take on a supportive role. They are sponsoring our work and providing the necessary support whenever applicable. They will partner us with a staff member with the skills to support us whenever we need assistance. Our client contact will update the client on our needs and questions whenever they need to be addressed.

Part Two: Context

  1. Contextual Background

Our interactions with technology have been proven to be unhealthy and reduce the quality of life for most of its users if not regulated. We will look at the impact of constantly interacting with digital screens for a long period of time and offer a mobile application that will assist with balancing it out. The reward system currently in place when interacting with technology puts students in a situation where there is a need to constantly get the next hit of a dopamine rush when interacting with technology. This reward system is a major problem for our society. To promote a better mental state of mind, our app will utilize interventions such as mindfulness meditation, flow state, reflection, journaling, and infographics to improve its user’s quality of life

  1. Why this need/gap?

There is an unprecedentedly growing use of digital screens in students' daily lives. Their coursework has transitioned mostly into screens, and having laptops is a requirement for being a college student. In addition to that, students also use smartphones day to day to communicate with each other, as well as a source of entertainment during their free time.

This unregulated screen time has made for growing concerns regarding digital wellness. However, as digital space is becoming integrated into day-to-day life, even more, there is a need for assistance in this regard. Assistance would help with mental and emotional stability, something students may be lacking during their busy academic lives.

  1. Plan Summary

The data collection for this project is collected in two parts. The first data collection will be gathered via surveys as primary research to understand students' relationship with technology and digital well-being. The second data collection focuses on qualitative interviews to assess the intervention proposals. The aim is to use survey data as the foundation for the intervention proposal. In this manner, the app is directed to alleviate some issues assessed from the first data collection. Questions we hope to answer through these methods will help us understand student technology usage and habits, daily challenges managing course work, and balancing that work with overall health needs.   We will collect some demographic information about students to ensure we collect information from a diverse student population and look for trends across student groups.

  1. Learning Objectives


Literature Review

Part One: Interventions

  1. Hobbiss, M. H., Fairnie, J., Jafari, K., & Lavie, N. (2019). Attention, mindwandering, and mood. Consciousness and Cognition: An International Journal, 72, 1–18. https://doi-org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/10.1016/j.concog.2019.04.007

Flow State

Mind-wandering and distraction from mobile phones are associated with lower happiness levels. In this study, there is an exploration of the impact of minimalizing mind-wandering to increase productivity and further understanding the impact of technology on the “flow state.” Flow state is defined as “ the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.” (Ellis, Gary D) The study states that the length of the distraction stimuli does not affect the subject, rather, the mere engagement is what causes unproductivity and disconnect from work at hand. Distraction stimuli can come from a variety of sources, and being able to identify when you are in a flow state can help maintain a distraction-less environment.

  1. Liu, N., Zhang, Y., Mark, G., Li, Z., & Rau, P. P. (2019). Mindfulness meditation: Investigating immediate effects in an information multitasking environment. Cross-cultural design. methods, tools and user experience (pp. 531-542). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22577-3_38 

        Mindfulness

The idea of mindfulness has been heavily tied to the practice of purpose-driven interactions. This study by Liu and associates “aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness meditation on stress, focus, affect, workload, behavior and performance in an information multitasking environment.” The study allowed participants to complete a proofreading task while allowing them to switch to Facebook at their leisure. The participants saw that as they switched back and forth, they became more anxious and stressed, whereas those who did not interact with non-task-related technologies were less stressed and completed tasks in less time. Being able to hold yourself accountable and create purposeful technological interactions increases your quality of concentration and therefore fosters a mindful state. In addition, replacing breaks you commonly take by checking your phone or scrolling social media with meditation and reflection tools increases your desire to remain on task and creates a less stressful working environment.

  1. Smyth, J. M., Johnson, J. A., Auer, B. J., Lehman, E., Talamo, G., & Sciamanna, C. N. (2018). Online Positive Affect Journaling in the Improvement of Mental Distress and Well-Being in General Medical Patients With Elevated Anxiety Symptoms: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mental Health, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.2196/11290 

Journaling

During a study conducted in 2017 at Pennsylvania State University, researchers found that the introduction of positive affect journaling (PAJ) to those with increased anxiety was an effective intervention for “mitigating mental distress, increasing well-being, and enhancing physical functioning among medical populations.” (Smyth). The study also speaks on the adaptation of journaling on a device instead of pen and paper and states that the accessibility of an application to go back and reflect on past journal entries helped users identify repetitive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings.

  1. Philippi, C. L., & Koenigs, M. (2014). The neuropsychology of self-reflection in psychiatric illness. Journal of psychiatric research, 55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.03.004 

        Reflection/ Introspection

Reflection and Introspection are powerful tools to connect and develop connections between actions and feelings. The benefit of having a self-reflection moment is that you can pay inward attention to personal thoughts, memories, and feelings and see how that correlates to your daily habits and lifestyle.  The use of reflection tools allows you to make adjustments on a personal level beyond the surface-level achievements, regaining self-awareness and overall life satisfaction.

Part Two: Surveying and Research Methods

  1. Ponto J. Understanding and Evaluating Survey Research. J Adv Pract Oncol. 2015 Mar-Apr;6(2):168-71. Epub 2015 Mar 1. PMID: 26649250; PMCID: PMC4601897.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13645570500402447?cookieSet=1 

        Survey

We intend to build a qualitative survey that utilizes open and close-ended questions. This process allows us to understand the student’s engagement with their devices. The data for both methods will be collected via Qualtrics survey questionnaires. “Surveys are a good choice to find out about characteristics, preferences, opinions, or beliefs of a group of people” (Scribbr.) The survey will be a self-administered computer survey distributed to the sample population. This mode has been chosen to mitigate bias, “paper surveys have a higher margin for error because answers given via paper forms need to be input manually into your system to be analyzed. While online survey data are directly input into the system” (Qualtrics).  In addition, Qualtrics surveys reach new audiences and gather a large data sample set.  

  1. Bhandari, P. (2022, November 24). What is quantitative research? - Definition, uses & methods. Scribbr. Retrieved from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/quantitative-research/ 

        Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is described as “the process of collecting and analyzing numerical data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider populations.” (Bhandari)  In our project, the quantitative method will analyze behavioral patterns such as the duration of technology use by students and the impact on focus, sleep, school, work, and other observable actions. This method will also analyze technology use during different stages of school.

  1. Bhandari, P. (2022, November 24). What is qualitative research? - Methods & examples. Scribbr. Retrieved from https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitative-research/ 

        Qualitative Research

The method for data gathering for the explanatory sequential research will be through mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative. “Combining quantitative and qualitative research helps to develop a conceptual framework, to validate quantitative findings by referring to information extracted from the qualitative phase of the study, and to construct indices from qualitative data that can be used to analyze quantitative data.”(Onwuegbuzie) For our project, the qualitative side will analyze students’ interactions with their devices and social platform engagements.  The qualitative data should allow for the explanation and contextualization of the quantitative findings.

  1. Convenience sampling: Definition, advantages and examples. QuestionPro. (2021, November 1). Retrieved Nov. 7, 2022, from https://www.questionpro.com/blog/convenience-sampling/ 

Convenience Sampling

A convenience sample occurs when you use data from a conveniently located sample of participants. You acknowledge that this population may have different opinions from the mass, but it is a good starting point for data gathering. This method is “incredibly prompt, uncomplicated, and economical.” Since we were looking for a low cost and convenience in our initial survey, we believed this method would serve us best. A readily available survey sample was most important to us in these initial research phases.

  1. World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. (n.d.). Open-ended vs. closed-ended questions in User Research. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved Nov. 7, 2022, from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/open-ended-questions/ 

Open-ended questions

The goal of an open-ended survey question is to get richer data than that of yes/no answers. These open-ended survey questions can lead to a more well-rounded understanding of your survey population and frequently alert you to user discrepancies. In our survey,  open-ended questions will inquire about students’ frequently used platforms and whether the platforms are or are not connected to their well-being. Though these questions will not provide statistical data, their value comes from the qualitative data produced.

  1. Pew Research Center. (2021, October 27). Writing Survey Questions. Retrieved Nov. 7, 2022, from  https://www.pewresearch.org/our-methods/u-s-surveys/writing-survey-questions/ 

Close-ended questions

The quantitative survey questionnaire will only include closed-ended questions.  The questions include time spent on devices and physiological symptoms associated with prolonged technology use. The numerical data will be analyzed to detect trends, patterns, and correlations (Scribbr).The closed-ended questions will incorporate binary answers to questions inquiring about participants' well-being before, during, and after their platform engagements.

Part Three: Reasoning

  1. Research Methods | Definitions, Types, Examples.” Scribbr. Retrieved Nov. 7, 2022. https://www.scribbr.com/category/methodology/

Explanatory Research

The project will utilize explanatory research design; it is a research method that explores why something occurs when limited information is available. It increases understanding on a given topic, ascertain why and how a particular phenomenon occurs and possibly predict future occurrences” (Scribbr). We aim to investigate patterns and trends in existing data regarding the negative effects of technology that have not been previously investigated.  Explanatory research is also called casual research - understanding the cause and effect. How are interactions with technology impacting other aspects of well-being? Causal research is utilized in this study design to understand how technology affects well-being in different circumstances.

  1. Research Methods | Definitions, Types, Examples.” Scribbr. Retrieved Nov. 7, 2022.https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/inductive-reasoning/

Inductive Reasoning

“Inductive reasoning is a method of drawing conclusions from the specific to the general (Scribbr).” We aim to use inductive reasoning to understand college students’ definitions of digital wellness. There is a strong reliance on technology however, interaction with technology is unhealthy. There are negative implications to the overactive use of the internet. The inductive reasoning method will allow us to observe the unhealthy relations with technology with the hope of analyzing the patterns that emerge from the observation. The general conclusion from this analysis will be used to develop the next research stage. We will analyze the students’ relationship with technology; this will be a form of exploratory research to understand human technological behaviors. The type of inductive reasoning utilized in this project will be a statistical generalization, where specific numbers will be used to make a statement about the sample population.

  1. Research Methods | Definitions, Types, Examples.” Scribbr. Retrieved Nov. 7, 2022.https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/deductive-reasoning/

Deductive Reasoning

Deductive reasoning will be used to test the hypotheses. We will test our hypothesis using the retrieved data that we are compiling against the existing literature that currently suggests specific interventions. We are currently in the experimental phase, and the results of our surveys will determine and flesh out the goals/interventions of our mobile application.

  1. Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J. and Nancy L. Leech. “On Becoming a Pragmatic Researcher: The importance of Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methodologies.” International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8 no. 5(2005): 375-387. doi.org/10.1080/13645570500402447 

        Mixed-methods data gathering

The method is for the explanatory sequential research will be through mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative. “Combining quantitative and qualitative research helps to develop a conceptual framework, to validate quantitative findings by referring to information extracted from the qualitative phase of the study, and to construct indices from qualitative data that can be used to analyze quantitative data.”(Onwuegbuzie)


Methods/Procedures/Design

Part One: Methods, Tools, and Standards

  1. Method Overview

Explanatory Research Method also referred to as “Causal Research.” A method used to explore an occurrence with limited information; it increases understanding of a given topic, ascertains why and how a particular phenomenon occurs, and possibly predicts future occurrences. This project aims to explore new patterns and trends not previously investigated in existing data about the negative effects of technology.

  1. Tools Overview

Mixed methods, quantitative and qualitative, will be used for data gathering. The tools are open and close-ended Qualtrics survey questionnaires and interviews.  

  1. Standards Overview

        

https://www.turninglifeon.org/digital-wellness

Emerson Hospital and Turning Life On have worked together to create a standard for understanding Digital Wellness. These pillars help us to develop and make intentional choices about our media usage. As a group, we will use this as our standard for defining digital wellness and will elaborate on these presented points within our application development, as well as within our research phase.

The pragmatic approach is commonly used in the social sciences. Social scientist John Dewey defines this method as “a commitment to end-causes and outcomes of practice, rather than abstract first-causes.”  We plan to use pragmatic research as our standard for defining our research scope. This focus on outcomes versus the standard practice of addressing the causes is what we believe will be most beneficial to understanding and developing an application based on digital health. We acknowledge that, as a society, we have created a place where we must interact with technology on a large scale. Instead of suggesting that we eliminate the stressor of technology, our goal is to work with technology to create boundaries and goals.

Part Two: Procedures and Timeline

  1. Procedures

For our project, we have implemented “phases” to help meet deadlines and goals.

        We will use these phases to ensure that we are on track and to help break the project up into manageable segments of work for the team. This allows us to properly assign roles, divide work, and allow the opportunity for the team to provide their best work

  1. Timeline

Phase

Goal

Deliverable

Time Frame

1

Intervention Research

NO

9/27/2022 - 10/4/2022

1

Software Research

NO

10/4/2022 - 10/10/2022

1

Memorandum of Understanding

YES

10/4/2022 - 10/10/2022

1

Develop Hypothesis

NO

10/18/2022 - 10/19/2022

2

Proposal for Freedom

YES

10/10/2022 - 10/24/2022

2

EVERYONE Develop Literature Review

YES

10/20/2022 - 11/29/2022

2

DOCUMENT TEAM Final Proposal Development - model updates, document organization, and team discussions in preparation for our presentation and document delivery.

NO

10/20/2022 - 11/1/2022

3

RESEARCH TEAM Find secondary research supporting primary research methodologies

NO

10/25/2022 - 11/1/2022

3

RESEARCH TEAM Interviews and Observations - Determine logistics for primary research Maybe a small group meeting

NO

11/1/2022 - 11/8/2022

3

RESEARCH TEAM Conduct First Interviews and Observations - first meetings will focus on

NO

11/8/2022 - 11/22/2022

2

DOCUMENT TEAM Final Practicum Project Proposal Oral Report- Presentation

YES

11/1/2022 - 11/15/2022

2

DOCUMENT TEAM Final Practicum Project Proposal Written Report

YES

11/15/2022 - 11/29/2022

3

RESEARCH TEAM Data Analysis - as interviews are conducted, team members will analyze interview transcripts and notes

NO

11/22/2022 - 12/2/2022

4

Present Research Findings to Stakeholders

YES

12/2/2022 - 12/9/2022

OR 1/9/2023 - 1/16/2023

Welcome back!

1/9/2023

5

DEVELOPMENT TEAM App Development (8 weeks)

NO

01/16/2023 - 03/13/2023

5

RESEARCH TEAM Usability Testing or User Feedback

NO

01/16/2023 - 03/13/2023

Spring Break

3/13/2023 -3/17/2023

6

RESEARCH TEAM Analyze findings

NO

3/20/2023  - 3/27/2023

6

DEVELOPMENT TEAM Incorporate User Feedback into App

NO

03/27/2023 - 04/08/2023

7

Functional Testing - Final QA by Team

NO

4/10/2023 - 4/13/2023

8

Develop documentation and marketing materials

YES

4/14/2023 - 4/29/2023

8

Final deliverable to Stakeholder

YES

5/1/2023 - 5/3/2023


Proposed Deliverable(s)

Part One: Mobile Application

  1. The Product

The goal of this project is to develop a mobile application that utilizes interventions such as mindfulness meditation, flow state, reflection, journaling, and infographics to improve the user’s quality of life. Until the data is analyzed, we cannot define which interventions are most necessary in our application.

  1. Defining Scope


Challenges

Part One: The Deliverables

  1. Challenges with Design

The main issue we anticipate having is the challenge of keeping the app simple. Simplicity, while it sounds easy, means that we need to narrow down what features are critical instead of what features would be cool to implement but are not necessary to the app's success. The other challenge is creating a brand identity that portrays our goal without becoming either boring or overdone. Striking and simple visual design will not only draw in users, but it will be what keep them on our platform.

  1. Challenges with Implementation

One of the challenges we are working on now is understanding and developing a timeline that best suits the needs of our project while at the same time making sure we don’t fall behind or feel too overwhelmed. We still need to work on creating goals for the application's progress and keep each other accountable for meeting these goals. It is very easy to fall behind during the design phase, but all the pieces must fall in a specific order, so falling behind can be detrimental to reaching our end goal.

In addition, the roles of group members will change as we enter this next phase. Having a document team and a research team was critical to the initial success of the proposal. As we go into this next semester, we will need to sit down and re-develop design goals and needs concerning our existing and developing skill sets to create new teams.

Part Two: Sustainability

  1. Upon Project Completion

We hope we can present this project to Freedom.to and that they would be willing to maintain the application if it meets the company's needs.  We will be building the application with existing Freedom features in mind so that it matches the design and existing organization styles to a certain extent.

  1. User Manual

We are considering creating a user manual that includes the style guide and uses, alternative logos, and adjacent application uses, as well as breaking down all the features of the applications with descriptions of how they help us meet our application goals.


Reflection

Part One: As a Group

  1. Value of Planning a Practicum

Planning the practicum is valuable because it allows group members to find issues early and respond accordingly before we move into deep work when deliverables are more pressing. As a group, we developed teamwork, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. We collaborated and were able to define a project, as well as start the research for the project before the semester ended.

  1. Group Dynamics

The group worked together pretty well, but there were a few hiccups in the communication structure. We learned as a group that sometimes, things we think are being conveyed don’t come across as intended. As a group, we learned how to communicate with each other more effectively, something we thought we all excelled at. Our group learned how we each individually respond to stressors and have gained skills in supporting each other in the different ways that each individual needs.

  1. Metrics of Success

Part Two: As individuals

  1. Our Personal Project Goals


Appendices

I. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

INLS 779 Practicum Development, Fall 2022

Team Memorandum of Understanding

Digital Wellness Application Sponsored by Freedom

Ola Bam, Joe Oh, Elizabeth Ranatza, Brianna Thompson, Jolie Tingen

I. Communication Norms and Conflict Management

II. Meeting Norms

III. Skills Development and Quality Control

Brianna

Jolie

Joe

Elizabeth

Ola

Project Manager

Client Contact

Scrum Master

Process Facilitator

Internal Scheduler

Document Management

Graphic Design

Note Taker

Interviewer

Primary Research Team

Secondary Research Team

Recorder

Presentation Design

Class Presenter

Product Designer

App Developer

V. Commitments to Fun

VI. Common Availability