MS3 – Defining a Solution

0. MS2 Corrections

• The Screen Time Journey Map was revised to focus on the user's current situation and experiences, rather than presenting the future experience with the proposed solution.
• Leading questions were removed from the interview questions to avoid influencing participants' responses.
• Interview summaries were added to better document and synthesize the findings obtained from the interviews.
• Direct quotes were added to summaries to more cleanly show the interviewee's thoughts.
• The "what, how, why who" section for parking interview 1 was tweaked to better reflect the content of the interview.

1. Brainstorming Process

1.1 Brainstorming Procedure

The brainstorming process was conducted in two stages. Both stages were focused on generating possible solutions for the screen time problem based on the findings obtained from the interviews, situations, and journey maps.

Stage 1: Initial Idea Generation

First, we conducted a quick brainstorming activity using a physical whiteboard. The objective of this stage was to generate as many ideas as possible without developing or evaluating them in depth. We wrote down relevant words, concepts, possible solutions, and features related to the Screen Time problem. At this stage, ideas were intentionally kept short and spontaneous so that we could explore different possible directions before discussing them in greater detail.

Stage 2: Collaborative Brainstorming

The second stage was conducted through a team video call using a shared digital board. In this stage, we reviewed the ideas generated during the first stage and developed them further using the findings from our interviews, situations, and journey maps. We applied the "Yes, and..." brainstorming strategy throughout the session. When a team member proposed an idea, the other members were encouraged to build upon it by accepting the initial idea and adding a new element, feature, or possible improvement instead of immediately rejecting or criticizing it. This allowed us to expand simple ideas into more complete solution concepts.

For example, an initial idea such as using existing phone features could be extended with additional mechanisms: "Yes, and..." we could add grayscale mode, turn off social media notifications, add a streak mechanism, or use scores to motivate users. This approach can be seen directly in our brainstorming board, where several ideas were developed by adding new possibilities to an initial proposal.

Download Full Brainstorming Document (PDF)

Connection to Research Findings

The ideas generated during the brainstorming were based on the evidence collected during the previous Design Thinking activities.

The interviews showed that users were aware of their high screen time but had difficulty maintaining strategies to reduce it. They had already tried features such as application limits, but these could be easily bypassed. The interviews also identified boredom and unstructured time as important triggers for excessive phone use.

The What–How–Why situations reinforced these findings. One participant frequently used the phone during periods of boredom, while another used social media to fill empty time between activities. Both participants had attempted to use screen-time controls, but these did not provide enough motivation or constraint.

The journey map showed that awareness alone does not necessarily produce behavior change. It also identified the daily-use stage as the point where temptation is highest and where users can easily bypass restrictions.

Solutions Generated

The brainstorming generated several solution directions, which can be grouped into the following categories.

Existing Phone Features

The team explored whether existing smartphone features could be used or extended to address the problem:

• Phone screen-time timers.
• Grayscale mode.
• Turning off social media notifications.
• Lowering screen brightness.
• Focus Mode.
• Selecting which applications should be limited.
• Locking applications behind a password or passkey.
• Using the phone's default screen-time features.

However, the interview findings showed that default phone features can be easy to ignore or bypass.

Motivation and Gamification

Using the "Yes, and.." strategy, we expanded the idea of simply limiting screen time into more engaging mechanisms:

• Streaks.
• Scores to motivate users.
• Gamification of the studying process.
• Challenges between friends.
• Activities or challenges required to unlock applications.
• A virtual pet to motivate users.
• Progress and achievement mechanisms.

These ideas respond to the finding that users may be aware of their screen time but lack sufficient motivation to maintain behavioral changes.

Alternative Activities

Because boredom and unstructured time were identified as triggers for excessive phone use, we generated ideas that provide alternatives to phone usage:

• Outdoor activities.
• Increasing non-technology-related activities.
• Offline activities based on the user's interests.
• Pomodoro sessions.
• Studying activities.
• Spending time with friends.
• Activities that must be completed before accessing certain applications.

Stronger Restrictions

We also explored solutions that provide stronger external constraints:

• Locking applications behind passkeys.
• Blocking applications after reaching a limit.
• Allowing users to choose which applications to restrict.
• A physical box that locks the phone for a specific period.
• A no-phone rule before going to bed.
• Physical restrictions.
• Replacing a smartphone with a simpler device.

Some of these ideas were intentionally extreme, allowing the team to explore different possibilities and understand how far a restriction-based solution could be taken.

Smart Features

The brainstorming also included smart features that could make the solution more adaptive to each user's behavior.

Behavioral Detection

One idea was to use the phone's accelerometer to detect how often the user lifts or picks up their phone. This could provide information about phone-checking behavior in addition to total screen time.

Another proposed feature was to track application usage individually and group applications into categories, such as entertainment, messaging, and games. This could help identify the types of activities that contribute most to the user's screen time.

Automatic and Adaptive Interventions

The team proposed automatically activating certain interventions based on the user's behavior. For example, the system could automatically activate grayscale mode after the phone has been used for a long period of time.

Another idea was to use automation to enable or disable certain features according to the user's routine, helping users establish consistent periods of reduced phone usage.

Personalized Recommendations

The application could also provide offline activity suggestions based on the user's interests. Instead of simply telling the user to stop using their phone, the system could recommend an alternative activity that is relevant to them.

AI-Based Features

The brainstorming included the possibility of using AI to verify whether users are completing specific tasks. This could be connected to a system in which users complete activities or challenges before being allowed to unlock certain applications.

Emergency and Flexible Mechanisms

We also considered mechanisms that would prevent the system from becoming excessively restrictive. One idea was to provide emergency tokens that users could use to temporarily skip a restriction when necessary.

Prototype Directions

The brainstorming also resulted in ideas that could be explored through different types of prototypes. The board included concepts suitable for digital, physical, and experience prototypes

Prototypes could explore the virtual pet, streaks, challenges, personalized recommendations, smart restrictions, and usage monitoring. We also could explore concepts such as social challenges, routines, and offline activities.

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2. Decision Process

2.1 Divergence Process

For the initial part of exploring solutions for the chosen problem, we used the "yes, and …" technique. This consist on generating more and more ideas based on the initial though of a member to enrich their initial idea instead of cutting it off, no matter how odd or crazy this addition might sound.

For instance, for the screen time problem we had a first approach with the idea of a box that locks the phone for a certain amount of time. From that point, they emerged some other contributions such as a no-phone rule before bed and a hammer inside the box that breaks the phone if it is grabbed by the user before time. It was a very extreme idea but it helped us to see other points of the problematic and then propose ideas according to our scope in the course. In the previous example, it lead us to a consequence system, specially some sort of challenge in order to unlock apps under the limit, such as Instagram or TikTok.

2.2 Convergence Process

Now, for the convergence part, we decided in 5 main "solutions" to the problem, and we grouped the other "yes and…" post-its into what seemed as features of the main six instead of solutions of their own. The initial 5 solutions to the screen time problem were:

• Changing the smartphone into a flip phone.
• Having a box that locks the phone for a certain amount of time.
• Using default phone features, such as notifications and display color.
• Increasing non-technology related activities.
• Gamifying the studying process.

With those solutions in mind, each team member had the chance to choose their top 3 to narrow down the list. After the vote, the box-and-hammer solution was ruled out, as it fell outside the project's scope and could have compromised both the integrity of the mobile phone and the user's safety. Next, with the four remaining solutions, we grouped them into the following four categories through a voting process in which each member placed a reaction emoji on the post-it note with the solution they felt best fit that category, with the following convention:

We unanimously voted for the same solutions for the same categories, distributed as follows:

• The rational choice: Using default phone features, such as notifications and display color.
• The most likely to delight: Gamifying the studying process.
• The darling: Increasing non-technology related activities.
• The long shot: Changing the smartphone into a flip phone.

Finally, we went for the two ideas that inspired the most a physical prototype or a digital prototype, thus being Gamifying the studying process and Increasing non-technology related activities.

2.3 Selection Criteria

To further evaluate the four remaining solutions we used the four categories established during the convergence process. Each member voted for the solution they considered best fit for each category and the results were unanimous.

In first place, the Long shot was changing the smartphone into a flip phone. Although this could represent a strong way of reducing access to distracting applications, it would require users to give up many of the functions for which they rely on their smartphones. It was therefore a more radical direction and one that was considerably further from the scope of developing a mobile application.

In second place, the Rational choice was assigned to using default phone features, such as notifications and display color. This idea was considered rational because most devices nowadays have these features already available. However, we didn't stick with this because previous research had already shown that existing screen-time strategies can be easily bypassed, this also points to the lack of something that motivates the user to continue using the solution.

In third place, The Darling was increasing non-technology-related activities. This idea stood out to the team because of its direct connection with some of the situations identified during our research, particularly the use of the phone during boredom or unstructured periods of time. Instead of focusing exclusively on preventing phone use, this direction offered the possibility of addressing what users could do instead. Nonetheless, the main issue is that it strays a bit from the scope of developing a mobile application, but we believe its key to solving the problem.

Finally, The most likely to delight was gamifying the studying process. This category allowed us to identify the idea that could make the process of reducing screen time more engaging rather than simply restrictive. Features such as challenges, progress, scores, or other forms of gamification could make the experience more appealing to users and provide opportunities for different types of interactions. Additionally, the freedom associated with games and challenges allows to integrate some characteristics from other ideas, for instance having challenges that require you to perform some non-technology-related activity.

All this categories allowed us to consider our ideas from different perspectives, rather than evaluating them only according to whether if they were capable of dealing with the identified problem or not.

2.4 Selected Idea

After this evaluation, we decided to continue with Gamifying the studying process and Increasing non-technology-related activities. Since the project is focused on the development of a mobile application, we considered the first of these directions to be the most suitable starting point for the final solution. However, we did not want to discard what made the second idea particularly appealing to the team.

Hence, rather than discarding Increasing non-technology-related activities, we opted to use the aspects that attracted us to both and incorporate them into a single mobile application. The application would use gamification as a mechanism to motivate users while also providing suggestions for non-technology-related activities that could serve as alternatives to phone use. The resulting concept therefore combines these two directions into an application intended to help users gain greater control over their screen time, the specific features and mechanisms developed from this concept are described in Section 5. Solution Description.

2.5 Evidence

As shown in the image, the selected winner ideas are marked with a trophy, that goes to show that our end-purpose was to take the best of our 2 remaining possible solutions and attempt to combine them in such a way that results appealing to the customers.

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3. Empathy Maps

3.1 Empathy Map 1

The Empathy Map represents a user who is aware that she spends a significant amount of time on her phone and has already tried different strategies to reduce her screen time. However, she has difficulty maintaining these strategies because her phone is an important part of her daily life and the existing tools are easy to bypass.

In Thinks, the user is aware that her phone usage is higher than she would like. She knows that she should probably spend less time on her phone and recognizes that the current limits are not very effective because they are easy to ignore or bypass. At the same time, she thinks that completely avoiding her phone is not realistic because she needs it for different activities during the day. This creates a conflict between wanting to reduce her screen time and still needing her phone for work, communication, music, entertainment, and other activities. Because of this, she would benefit from a solution that provides more support without completely preventing her from using her phone.

In Sees, the user is constantly exposed to things that encourage her to use her phone. She sees notifications, screen-time reminders, and applications that can easily become distractions. Social media and entertainment applications are especially relevant because they can lead to unplanned or longer periods of use. At the same time, she also sees her phone as a necessary tool for communication and other daily activities, which makes it difficult to simply stop using it. Her environment therefore contains both reasons to use her phone and reasons to try to reduce that use.

In Feels, the user experiences some frustration because she knows she wants to reduce her screen time but does not always manage to do so. She feels distracted by her phone and experiences anxiety related to spending too much time on it. She can also feel somewhat resigned because she considers the phone necessary for many aspects of her daily life. Despite these difficulties, she is still motivated to make a change because she wants to feel calmer, more focused, and more in control of her phone usage.

In Does, the user actively tries different strategies to control her screen time. She checks her screen-time statistics to understand how much she uses her phone, sets limits for specific applications, and has tried deleting applications that she uses frequently. However, when she reaches a limit, she can extend or bypass it, which reduces the effectiveness of these strategies. She continues to use her phone throughout the day for activities such as work, communication, music, news, and entertainment. As a result, she has tried to change her behavior several times but has difficulty maintaining these changes over time.

Overall, the Empathy Map shows that the main challenge is not that the user is unaware of her screen time or unwilling to change. She already recognizes the problem and has made several attempts to control her usage. The main difficulty is maintaining the change while still having access to the functions of the phone that she needs in her everyday life. This suggests an opportunity for a solution that goes beyond simply showing screen-time statistics or setting basic limits, and instead provides motivation, support, and more effective ways to help the user maintain healthier habits.

3.2 Empathy Map 2 - A full-time employee who struggles to take breaks

One prospective user may be a full-time employee who struggles to take breaks, spending most of his day working continuously and blurring the lines between work and rest.

The employee is aware of his physical needs but constantly rationalizes ignoring them. He knows he should move around more and acknowledges his tired eyes, but he convinces himself to push through by promising to take a break just as soon as the current task is finished. A fear he has is that stopping will cause him to lose his focus, revealing that his continuous work habit is heavily driven by a desire to protect his momentum.

The employee's environment reflects a constant loop of pressure and physical toll. He faces a large list of tasks and spends a large portion of his day looking at screens, making it incredibly easy to lose track of time. This continuous toll has had undeniable physical consequences, like sore eyes and slouched posture, as well as relational consequences, as he seems to be absent from his relatives.

This user experiences a strong tension between the psychological toll of productivity and the physical cost of maintaining it. He feels highly focused and accomplished when completing a large amount of work, which makes him deeply reluctant to stop. However, this is countered by feeling tired from prolonged screen use and frustrated when physical discomfort eventually makes it harder to continue.

The employee remains seated for extended periods without changing position and frequently postpones breaks until a task is completely done. His digital habits spill over entirely into his personal life, as he checks emails right before sleep and immediately upon waking, and continues using devices through meals and well after the official workday has finished.

Overall, this empathy map shows that the core problem isn't a lack of awareness about the need for rest, but an ingrained fear that taking a break equates to losing productivity and focus. An effective solution should focus less on forcing him to stop working, which would only cause frustration and friction, and more on integrating seamless, low effort physical recovery moments directly into his workflow, allowing him to sustain his momentum without sacrificing his wellbeing.

3.3 Empathy Map 3 - Distracted student during academic activities

The empathy map represents a university student who struggles to stay focused during academic activities such as lectures and homework.
In Thinks, the student is aware of the problem and knows what she should be doing, which is putting the phone away, closing distracting tabs, and focusing only on class. She also notices that when the lecture slows down, her mind starts to wander, showing that the distraction is not purely external but also tied to moments of low engagement.

In Sees, her environment normalizes distraction. Classmates also check their phones, notifications appear while she takes notes, and the clock reveals less time remains than she thought. The end-of-week screen time report surprises her, showing that the scale of the problem is only visible in hindsight.

In Feels, she experiences frustration, guilt, and a sense of being overwhelmed. She feels unable to sustain focus, frustrated when she misses something important, and guilty for prioritizing her phone over class. This shows she is not indifferent to the problem, but the constant awareness of it adds an emotional cost.

In Does, the pattern becomes concrete: she checks her phone every 8-10 minutes during class and opens social media several times an hour while doing homework, studying in short 15-minute bursts interrupted by phone checks. When she misses something, she rewatches the lecture segment, adding time to an already fragmented process.

Overall, the map shows that the core problem isn't a lack of awareness, but the difficulty of sustaining attention when the environment constantly offers low-effort alternatives to focus. An effective solution should focus less on making her aware of the problem, since she already is, and more on reducing the friction of staying focused at the exact moments attention is most likely to slip.

3.4 Empathy Map 4 - A university student studying for exams but struggling to balance academic focus with constant phone distractions

The empathy map represents a university student who is preparing for exams and struggles to maintain focus because of frequent phone distractions. In Thinks, the student recognizes the importance of studying and understands that excessive phone use can negatively affect their academic performance. They want to concentrate for longer periods, but at the same time feel the need to keep their phone nearby because they do not want to miss important information, social activity, or updates from their friends. This reveals that the student is aware of the problem but does not find it easy to simply disconnect from their phone.

In Sees, the student's environment is filled with stimuli that competes for their attention. Notifications, new posts, videos, messages, and activity from friends are constantly visible on their phone. Even when the phone is initially used for academic purposes, the student can encounter unrelated content and become distracted. Therefore, the phone is not only a tool for communication and entertainment, but also an easily accessible source of competing stimuli during study sessions.

In Feels, the student experiences a mixture of frustration, boredom, exhaustion, and uneasiness. They become frustrated when they realize that they have lost control of their phone use or have spent time distracted instead of studying. At the same time, they may feel uneasy when their phone is not nearby, demonstrating an emotional dependence on having access to it. However, successfully spending a long period without using the phone gives them a sense of accomplishment, showing that they are motivated to improve their habits rather than simply accepting the situation.

Finally, in Does, the student repeatedly checks their phone while studying, finds opportunities to use it, and can lose long periods of study time without noticing. They may even become distracted while using their phone to search for academic information. Although they have attempted strategies to reduce their phone usage and sometimes leave the phone far away when studying is especially important, these strategies are difficult to maintain consistently.

Overall, the empathy map shows that the problem is not simply that the student uses their phone excessively. The deeper problem is the conflict between their need for the phone and their need to concentrate. The phone provides social connection, information, entertainment, and immediate stimulation, while studying requires sustained attention and delayed rewards. As a result, the student understands that their phone is interfering with their academic goals but continues to return to it despite this awareness. This suggests that an effective solution should not necessarily aim to eliminate phone use altogether but rather help the student maintain control over when and why they use their phone while preserving the functions they genuinely need during studying.

3.5 Empathy Map 5 - Stress-driven phone user

Sofia is a university student whose relationship with her phone reveals a clear pattern: her excessive phone use is strongly driven by stress. In Thinks, Sofia knows that her phone is necessary in her daily life, but she recognizes that she often turns to it when she feels overwhelmed or has too many responsibilities. She thinks about how much productive time she loses on her phone and wishes she could spend less time scrolling because she has many things to accomplish. In Sees, her environment constantly exposes her to distractions, with notifications from work and studies appearing throughout the day and social media always being easily accessible. She also notices other people around her turning to their phones when they experience stressful situations, reinforcing this behavior. In Feels, Sofia experiences anxiety and frustration when she realizes that her phone is taking time away from her responsibilities and affecting her concentration. At the same time, she feels justified in using her phone because it provides a temporary break from stress and helps her escape difficult situations. Finally, in Does, Sofia uses her phone several times during study sessions, frequently checks notifications, and opens social media when she encounters something difficult or feels overwhelmed. Overall, the empathy map shows that Sofia's main challenge is not simply excessive phone use, but the connection between stress and her tendency to use her phone as an escape or coping mechanism. Therefore, an effective solution should not rely only on restrictions, but should help her recognize these moments of stress, interrupt the habit of reaching for her phone, and provide healthier alternatives for managing stressful situations.

3.6 Empathy Map 6 - Socially motivated reducer

Kristy is a university student whose relationship with her phone reveals a clear pattern, that she's not driven by restriction but from connection.In Thinks, Kristy knows her phone is nevessary and can't be fully removed from her life, so she's looking for something external to help motivate her. She's noticed that when she's genuinely engaged in an interesting class, she doesn't feel the urge to check her phone, the same goes when she's with her friends. This has led her yo reflect on everything she could accomplish instead of doomscrolling, and wonder whether her friends struggle with the same pull.

In sees, her environment works against her, with her phone always within reach, notifications never stop, and platforms like TikTok and Instagram are engineered to keep her from looking away. She also sees the people around her, friends and classmates, checking their phones constantly while others manage to stay productive without that need. Her own screen time report is a recurring, uncomfortable reminder of just how high her usage really is.

Emotionally, Kristy swings between two extremes. Boredom makes her open her phone almost without thinking, and she often feels overwhelmed by her workload when she senses she has less time to get things done. The excessive use leaves her anxious and unfocused, and she feels guilty once she realizes how much time she's lost scrolling. But when she's truly present with friends, she feels calm and happy, thus being a proof that real connection is her most effective antidote.

Finally, Kristy is already taking action, even if imperfectly. She sets screen time limits but sometimes extends them once she hits the cap. She's deleted a few apps to reduce temptation, and she reaches for her phone especially when bored or alone, or during transitions between classes. Notably, she uses her phone far less during social activities, and she's found that video calls with friends, being motivating each other to finish pending tasks, help her stay on track.

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4. Personas

4.1 Persona 1

Juliana is a 22-year-old undergraduate student who is currently completing her bachelor's degree and preparing for her exams. She is comfortable with technology and relies on her smartphone and laptop for communication, entertainment, and university work. Although she values the convenience of staying connected with her friends and having immediate access to information, her constant access to digital content makes it difficult for her to maintain focus while studying.

Juliana's primary goals are to successfully prepare for and pass her exams and to develop the ability to study for longer periods without being constantly distracted by her phone. She expects to be able to concentrate while still having access to the digital resources she needs for university. At the same time, she does not want to completely give up her phone because it provides social connection, entertainment, information, and a sense of being up to date with what is happening around her.

Her main motivations come from wanting to perform well academically while maintaining control over her phone use. She wants to avoid feeling that she is missing something important when she is away from her phone and feels accomplished when she manages to complete productive study sessions. However, this creates a conflict between her academic responsibilities and the immediate rewards provided by her phone.

Juliana's main pain points are the frequency with which she checks her phone while studying, the amount of study time she loses without realizing it, and her difficulty maintaining strategies intended to reduce her phone usage. She can also become distracted while using her phone for legitimate study related purposes, making it difficult to simply avoid the device altogether. Furthermore, boredom and exhaustion during long study sessions can make the phone even more appealing.

Overall, Juliana represents a student who recognizes that her phone is interfering with her academic performance but struggles to consistently control its use. Her problem is therefore not a lack of awareness or motivation to study, but the difficulty of balancing a device that is both necessary for her university life and a major source of distraction. This suggests an opportunity for a solution that helps her regulate and control her phone use during study sessions without requiring her to completely disconnect from the digital resources and social connections she values.

4.2 Persona 2

Juan is a highly ambitious, 26 year old professional, juggling a full-time job and an evening master's degree in computer science. Having been deeply immersed in technology for over a decade, his life is defined by a constant stream of tasks that mostly involve working on his laptop. Additionally, he's also very aware of his phone, as it's a tool to communicate with colleagues who may require him to attend to meetings or respond to emails. Overall, Juan is driven by a need to maintain high productivity across both his career and his studies, but he recognizes the need to develop healthier working habits given that they do not force him to sacrifice his output.

His main motivations to achieve a better balance between his working and resting times are to regain control over his responsibilities and to improve some health conditions that have arisen from the lack of limits towards his duties. He expects to be able to have enough time for both his work and his studies, all the while he performs appropriate breaks to prevent burn out related symptoms due to the amount of work he has to deal with. He desires to fulfill this without compromising his productivity and thus preventing the feeling of falling behind.

The main pain points that Juan has are related to putting his duties above everything else, including his physical, mental and emotional well being. Regarding the first, he has started experiencing some chronic pains such as sore eyes and muscle stiffness due to the lack of intentional rest from prolonged device usage and, perhaps, having a bad posture throughout. Regarding the second, he feels a lose of control over his time, allowing for work to permeate his routine outside of it. And regarding the third, he's under the constant fear of falling behind, diminishing his own self worth.

Overall, this persona highlights a user who needs wellness interventions that work with his ambition, not against it. Traditional, intrusive break alerts will fail because he views them as a threat to his workflow. An effective solution must help him reclaim a sense of control and address his physical discomfort quietly, allowing him to recover without triggering his anxiety about losing productivity.

4.3 Persona 3

Mateo is a 20-year-old second-year engineering student who is comfortable with technology and relies on his smartphone and laptop for both academic work and entertainment. Although he values staying connected and having constant access to content, this same access makes it difficult for him to sustain focus during lectures and study sessions, and increasingly spills over into his sleep and overall wellbeing.

Mateo's primary goals are to improve his academic performance and to feel more rested and in control of his daily habits. He wants to be able to follow his classes without losing track of what's being explained, and he wants to get enough quality sleep to feel alert during the day. At the same time, he doesn't want to give up the immediate stimulation and connection his phone provides, since checking it has become an automatic response to boredom, downtime, or the moments right before falling asleep.

His main motivations come from wanting to keep up with the pace of his classes and avoid the extra hours he ends up spending re-learning material on his own after missing key explanations. He also wants to feel physically and mentally recovered rather than simply making it through the day on insufficient sleep. However, this creates a conflict, in that the same phone that helps him feel entertained and socially connected is also what keeps him up late and pulls his attention away during the hours he intends to study.

Mateo's main pain points extend beyond the classroom. He frequently checks his phone during lectures and while studying, often has to rewatch lecture recordings because he missed parts the first time, and struggles to fall asleep because he keeps scrolling before bed. This lack of quality sleep leaves him anxious and unfocused the next day, which feeds back into his difficulty concentrating in class. As a result, his grades have started to drop, and he has trouble sustaining any strategy to limit his phone use for more than a few days at a time.

Overall, Mateo represents a student whose phone habits are affecting not just his academic performance but his broader quality of life, through poor sleep, persistent tiredness, and a cycle of stress that reinforces the same distraction it stems from. His problem is not a lack of awareness or desire to change, but the difficulty of breaking a pattern that affects him at multiple levels at once: attention, rest, and academic outcomes. This suggests an opportunity for a solution that addresses not only in-the-moment distraction during study, but also the habits around phone use at night that are undermining his sleep and, in turn, his ability to focus the next day.

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5. Solution Description

Screen time is a problem vast in those who are affected by it. As previously stated, solutions like default phone features, external limitations, or changing the phone are unviable options. This was reinforced by the interviews, where users showed awareness of their screen time but had difficulties maintaining strategies to reduce it, especially because existing limitations could be easily bypassed. Additionally, boredom and unstructured time were identified as important triggers for excessive phone use.

Thus, the convergence of gamification and the suggestion of non-technology-related activities on an app might be a better suited approach. Features like using scores, streaks, progress, or having a virtual pet could help to motivate the daily control of screen time. Additionally, social factors like studying with other people or challenges with friends might be useful for social users. Linked to this social aspect, suggesting offline activities based on the user's interests might be helpful, since boredom and unstructured time can lead users to return to their phones. These ideas were part of the main solution directions explored during the brainstorming and convergence process.

However, the main task of reducing screen time would still require mechanisms that help users control access to the applications that they consider time-consuming. The app could include focus modes, Pomodoros, and challenges that users must complete before unlocking certain applications. Other smart features, such as using the accelerometer to detect how often a person picks up their phone, tracking individual application usage, automatically activating grayscale mode, or using a passkey to restrict applications, are features the team is willing to explore as part of future iterations. These ideas come from the brainstorming process, where the team explored both motivational mechanisms and stronger restrictions before deciding which directions were most suitable.

The personas using the app, such as the unaware scroller, the workaholic, or the one with quality-of-life repercussions, will have to interact with the app differently. Therefore, the app should adapt its features and strategies according to the needs and behaviors of each type of user, while keeping the main objective of helping them maintain control over when and why they use their phone. This is especially relevant because the research suggests that the problem is not simply excessive phone use, but the difficulty of controlling a device that is also necessary for communication, studying, entertainment, and social connection.

The value of the app, in comparison to the ones existing on the market, will come from combining motivation with a stronger sense of intentionality when accessing distracting applications. Existing phone features can provide information or impose limits, but users can easily bypass them. Therefore, instead of only telling users that they have spent too much time on their phone, the app would encourage them to actively make a decision before returning to time-consuming applications. This could be achieved through challenges, personalized goals, gamification, and alternative offline activities. In this way, the solution would not aim to completely eliminate phone use, but rather help users gain greater control over how and when they use it.

5.1 Main Features

• Virtual pet and gamification: A virtual pet that reflects the user's screen-time habits, together with scores, streaks, progress, and achievements to motivate users to maintain healthier screen-time habits.
• Focus mode and Pomodoros: Focus sessions that help users stay away from time-consuming applications while studying or completing other activities.
• Challenges to unlock applications: Users can select applications that they consider time-consuming and complete a challenge before accessing them, making the decision to use these applications more intentional.
• Offline activity recommendations: The app suggests non-technology-related activities based on the user's interests, helping replace periods of boredom or unstructured time with alternative activities.

5.2 Smart Features

• Phone usage tracking: The application tracks individual application usage and identifies which types of applications contribute most to the user's screen time.
• Phone-checking detection: The accelerometer could be used to detect how frequently the user picks up or checks their phone, providing an additional measure of phone-checking behavior beyond total screen time.
• Adaptive interventions: The application could automatically activate interventions, such as grayscale mode or other restrictions, based on the user's usage patterns and routine.