Boosting productivity by tackling the invisible roots of workplace procrastination.
CASE STUDY
9 min read
Overview
For my MA dissertation in UX and Service Design, I designed Unblock. It’s a fresh digital service aimed at helping young professionals dodge workplace procrastination. The idea? To get to the heart of it – tackling self-doubt, inner resistance, and helping build self-awareness. All with smart, personalised AI tools and a unique buddy system.
My Role
Product Designer
Skills
Product Design
Interactive Prototyping
User Research & Testing
Project Duration
February - August 2024
Ever found yourself endlessly scrolling on your phone when you know you should be cracking on with that big task? You're not alone.
Procrastination, especially in the blurred lines of remote and hybrid work, isn't about laziness
It's a complex struggle against distractions, internal resistance, and the feeling of being overwhelmed. And it really does fuel a cycle of stress, putting things off, and then avoiding them even more – which impacts our well-being and costs businesses a lot.
The Challenge
How can I empower young professionals in remote work environments to overcome procrastination and unlock their full potential?
The high-level goals that defined my design:
Offer truly personalised support.
Build a sense of accountability and community.
Make productivity feel empowering, not like another chore.
Unblock gives users the keys to unlock their own productivity: understanding what makes them tick (or not tick!) and finding ways to stay accountable. The aim? To build habits that actually stick.
To design a truly effective solution, I knew I had to dig deeper than just surface-level assumptions. I needed to understand the why behind procrastination, especially in today's ever-changing work landscape.
My research involved several key methods, each designed to uncover different piece of the procrastination puzzle:
Turning all that raw data into something I could actually work with? That’s where the real understanding of procrastination behaviours started to click.
I began to see patterns in user motivations and revealed crucial gaps in users' capability, opportunity, and motivation, helping me step into their shoes and truly empathise with their struggles.
Process of thematic analysis of interview transcripts in Dovetail
Organizing the notes, quotes, and data from my research through affinity mapping.
So, What Did I Actually Discover?
My research uncovered several recurring patterns and challenges that young professionals face when dealing with workplace procrastination
From this, I concluded...
Procrastination isn't simply about laziness or poor time management. It's a complex interplay of inner resistance, task perception, emotional state, and a lack of personalised support.
This led me to ask How Might We..
…build a support system that minimizes fear of failure?
…integrate regular recognition for individual contributions into the workflow?
…design mental well-being support that seamlessly integrates into daily work routines?
…help users identify, visualise, and address their unique triggers?
From Competition…
My initial concept for Unblock centered on a company-wide platform that gamified procrastination through direct head-to-head "productivity duels" and a points-based reward system.
…to Collaboration
To refine this concept and ensure its effectiveness, I conducted a co-design session with a psychology expert. That chat was a real game-changer for understanding the potential impact of the platform.
Prioritising features using MoSCoW method (MUST have, SHOULD have, COULD have, WON'T have).
A competitive approach might alienate users who are already feeling overwhelmed, and it could create unhealthy dynamics within a workplace.
Because of feedback, I made a significant pivot...
I replaced the company-wide, competitive "Duel Mode" with an individual "buddy system" focused on voluntary support and collaboration.
Okay, Let's Get Building (and Rebuilding)!
An iterative process, driven by user feedback, shaped every step of the solution. I began by mapping out key assumptions and core user flow…
The user flow reflects loging in their mood, personalised suggestions, matching with their buddies, and joining virtual support session.
…translating these into storyboard and a paper prototype to test the basic structure and navigation.
Feedback led me to creating lo-fi and hi-fi Figma prototypes.
But the thing is – some of the most impactful design decisions came from really listening to users during that iterative solution space process…
Solution Space Process Diagram
Iteration 1
I simplified buddy communication
To simplify collaboration, I redesigned the buddy screen into an intuitive chat interface.
Separately, initial multi-criteria matching overwhelmed users, so I streamlined the flow, focusing on essential compatibility factors.
…which lead me to collaboratively test the lo-fi Figma prototype, specifically focusing on the core assumption:
Do accountability partners actually boost productivity?
Iteration 2
The collaborative work session gave a pretty clear "yes!"
After testing a lo-fi Figma prototype, we shared goals, and worked independently for 25 minutes on our own tasks. Users said that "seeing me work kept them focused."
Lo-Fi Prototyping
Collaborative Work Session
Just seeing you work kept me more focused!
Iteration 3
Switching to Weekly Accountability
That feedback about daily matching feeling like "another task"? It led me to shift to weekly accountability partnerships. The aim was to encourage more sustained connections without adding to the mental load.
Iteration 4
App Blocking
Based on user feedback about habitual phone usage (a common pitfall for many), I incorporated a full app-blocking feature for some proper, deep focus.
While working on the business model, I also added premium subscription model that the app would operate on.
Final usability testing validated the design's effectiveness: simplifying content and UI demonstrably reduced cognitive load.
This was reflected in a good average SUS score (78.75) and desirability feedback highlighting the app as "engaging," "creative," and "calm," although its novelty also led some users to initially feel "overwhelming."
Aligning values, partners, and ecosystem for seamless service delivery.
I used the Value Proposition Canvas, Stakeholder Map, and Service Blueprint to make sure Unblock really met user needs and worked well with key partners. This helped me map out the ecosystem with a B2B2C model in mind, aiming for social impact – creating a network that stretched beyond just the app itself.
So, what’s the result? Unblock offers a personalised, supportive, and data-driven way to tackle the root causes of workplace procrastination. It's about empowering young professionals to really hit their stride.
What Did I Learn from All This?
Prototyping early really does spark creativity. I learned, perhaps the slightly harder way, that testing ideas sooner helps uncover potential improvements much faster.
Getting stakeholders involved strengthens the design. Bringing in mental health experts earlier on? That would have provided even deeper insights. Moving forward, I’ll be actively seeking that expert feedback.
Cross-field collaboration opens up new perspectives. Working across different areas like business and psychology genuinely deepened my understanding of how it all comes together in design. I feel much more confident now approaching projects with a broader, more holistic view.
Balancing the big picture with user needs is crucial. This project taught me how vital it is to keep the wider service strategy in mind while making sure I’m meeting individual user needs. It’s a tricky balance, but so important.
