7A
Hypothesis about Opportunity:
Cell phone addictions prevent students and workers from studying/working as productively as they want to. Cell phones take away focus from students/workers by distracting them and destroying the flow state.
Who: College students, high school students, office employees, that have trouble focusing on their work or task that needs to be done, due to distractions from their phone.
What: They are unable to easily focus on their work/Assignment and keep losing their flow taste to check their phone.
Why: Notifications making sounds or appearing on screen, the phone is next to them, generally not enough self-discipline to resist the phone even if no notification appears. Whenever a task gets hard the easier thing to do is grab the phone and get instant gratification.
Interviews:
Female high school students:
How good are you at keeping your focus when doing an assignment or homework?
· I would give myself a 7-10, at some point my attention wonders and I stop working for a bit.
Where does your attention go?
· I usually start watching my Netflix show or grab my phone.
Do you think that the Netflix show/ your phone was the reason why you stopped working?
· I guess so, yes.
Do you think you could work better not having access to a phone or Netflix?
· I am sure that would help me keep working, I wouldn’t have much else to do.
Male Teaching Assistant/ Graduate student at UF:
How good are you at focusing on your work? Do you get distracted at all?
· I am pretty good at focusing I would say but I used to struggle to focus in high school and undergraduate years. I still get distracted sometimes now.
Do you know what a flow state is?
· It is when you are in the zone and feel fully focused and involved in something, right?
Exactly! Do you feel like you get into a flow state when working?
· Sometimes, it does not always work for me. I either get distracted by a coworker wanting me to tell about his crazy weekend or I get a phone call or message that throws me off. It seems like it takes a good amount of time and no distractions to get into this state.
Do you think you could be more efficient not getting distracted by your phone?
· Yes, my phone does come in the way of me being in the flow a lot!
Male Undergraduate business student:
How efficient are you at working for school projects or assignments?
· Honestly, I am very inefficient. I mainly trade stocks and always want to be up to date when it comes to the market. So, when I work on school projects, I usually either think of the market or I get my laptop/phone and check it. I am extremely bad at multitasking.
Is your phone a distraction for you?
· Yes, I sometimes even put it into a different room so I can work on my schoolwork. After not even 30 minutes I somehow unconsciously get up and I like magnetically drawn to my phone to check the market. It is crazy.
How long are you checking the market then?
· I usually check the market for about ten minutes, then I check my messages, snapchats, and Instagram. I end up scrolling for about 30 minutes and only then realize I was actually studying!
Does this bug you?
· Yes, I wish I wouldn’t get distracted so easily.
Male Employee for a Private Jet company (approximately age 25)
Do you feel focused when working?
· I do for the most part!
Does your phone ever get into your way?
· I must work on my phone a lot, so it does happen occasionally that I use my phone for unnecessary reasons, that are non-work related.
Which app distracts you the most?
· I do work-related things on Instagram, so it is extremely easy for me to start scrolling threw my personal feed.
Female Undergraduate student:
How well do you focus when studying? Do you get distracted?
· Pretty well! I usually prepare well before studying. I clean up my desk, I make sure I have everything I need to work, and I also turn off my phone.
Do you ever feel the need to check your phone even though it is off?
· Yes, I do. It crosses my mind a lot, but I do not actually turn it on for a while.
How long does it take until you turn it back on?
· If it goes well, I will turn it on after about two hours.
Do you think you could study/work longer if you didn’t have a phone at all or if you were unable to access it until you get the work done?
· I guess I could work a little longer, but at some point, my mind needs a break.
Summary of who, what, why, and overall:
It seems like younger interviewees feel this problem more than older prospects. Every prospect felt the issue to some extent, some more, some less. This topic does relate to students but also people in the workforce. The interviewees had very split opinions on their focus and study ability but overall every one of them feels that there is room for more efficiency. They also all agreed that their phone is an obstacle when it comes to being in a flow state. It appears that self-discipline and notifications are both reasons why some of the prospects are drawn to their phones, but it was also clear that people picked up their phones because they thought they would miss something important if they did not check it.
Who: College students, high school students, office employees, that have trouble focusing on their work or task that needs to be done, due to distractions from their phone.
What: They are unable to easily focus on their work/Assignment and keep losing their flow taste to check their phone.
Why: Notifications making sounds or appearing on screen, the phone is next to them, generally not enough self-discipline to resist the phone even if no notification appears. Whenever a task gets hard the easier thing to do is grab the phone and get instant gratification.
Interviews:
Female high school students:
How good are you at keeping your focus when doing an assignment or homework?
· I would give myself a 7-10, at some point my attention wonders and I stop working for a bit.
Where does your attention go?
· I usually start watching my Netflix show or grab my phone.
Do you think that the Netflix show/ your phone was the reason why you stopped working?
· I guess so, yes.
Do you think you could work better not having access to a phone or Netflix?
· I am sure that would help me keep working, I wouldn’t have much else to do.
Male Teaching Assistant/ Graduate student at UF:
How good are you at focusing on your work? Do you get distracted at all?
· I am pretty good at focusing I would say but I used to struggle to focus in high school and undergraduate years. I still get distracted sometimes now.
Do you know what a flow state is?
· It is when you are in the zone and feel fully focused and involved in something, right?
Exactly! Do you feel like you get into a flow state when working?
· Sometimes, it does not always work for me. I either get distracted by a coworker wanting me to tell about his crazy weekend or I get a phone call or message that throws me off. It seems like it takes a good amount of time and no distractions to get into this state.
Do you think you could be more efficient not getting distracted by your phone?
· Yes, my phone does come in the way of me being in the flow a lot!
Male Undergraduate business student:
How efficient are you at working for school projects or assignments?
· Honestly, I am very inefficient. I mainly trade stocks and always want to be up to date when it comes to the market. So, when I work on school projects, I usually either think of the market or I get my laptop/phone and check it. I am extremely bad at multitasking.
Is your phone a distraction for you?
· Yes, I sometimes even put it into a different room so I can work on my schoolwork. After not even 30 minutes I somehow unconsciously get up and I like magnetically drawn to my phone to check the market. It is crazy.
How long are you checking the market then?
· I usually check the market for about ten minutes, then I check my messages, snapchats, and Instagram. I end up scrolling for about 30 minutes and only then realize I was actually studying!
Does this bug you?
· Yes, I wish I wouldn’t get distracted so easily.
Male Employee for a Private Jet company (approximately age 25)
Do you feel focused when working?
· I do for the most part!
Does your phone ever get into your way?
· I must work on my phone a lot, so it does happen occasionally that I use my phone for unnecessary reasons, that are non-work related.
Which app distracts you the most?
· I do work-related things on Instagram, so it is extremely easy for me to start scrolling threw my personal feed.
Female Undergraduate student:
How well do you focus when studying? Do you get distracted?
· Pretty well! I usually prepare well before studying. I clean up my desk, I make sure I have everything I need to work, and I also turn off my phone.
Do you ever feel the need to check your phone even though it is off?
· Yes, I do. It crosses my mind a lot, but I do not actually turn it on for a while.
How long does it take until you turn it back on?
· If it goes well, I will turn it on after about two hours.
Do you think you could study/work longer if you didn’t have a phone at all or if you were unable to access it until you get the work done?
· I guess I could work a little longer, but at some point, my mind needs a break.
Summary of who, what, why, and overall:
It seems like younger interviewees feel this problem more than older prospects. Every prospect felt the issue to some extent, some more, some less. This topic does relate to students but also people in the workforce. The interviewees had very split opinions on their focus and study ability but overall every one of them feels that there is room for more efficiency. They also all agreed that their phone is an obstacle when it comes to being in a flow state. It appears that self-discipline and notifications are both reasons why some of the prospects are drawn to their phones, but it was also clear that people picked up their phones because they thought they would miss something important if they did not check it.
Hello Steve,
ReplyDeleteI can certainly relate to the problem that you have presented and can understand that this problem is probably more applicable to younger people. I think you did a solid job in interviewing a diverse group of potential consumers, allowing you to gain different perspectives and viewpoints about the issue. In identifying a solution, I would have to mention that you probably wouldn't want to create something that mutes all alerts from the phone because there are times when it could be an emergency and that phone needs to be on. The problem is somewhat difficult to address for everyone because it relies on a lack of self-discipline and people being distracted, and not everyone faces it the same way. Perhaps, a study/productivity app that mutes notifications from social media sites may be an interesting way to go about this. Overall, I enjoyed reading about the problem you identified and am very intrigued in seeing how you go about addressing the issue. Great job!
Good afternoon Steven,
ReplyDeleteYour opportunity that you presented is very relatable and it deserves a lot of attention. The problem nowadays with phone addiction can be transitioned into an opportunity that has the potential to change people's lives and improve their addiction. Additionally, the interviews that you provided give valuable feedback on the status and condition of their phone usage. The younger generation has been affected by phones and is a great audience to raise an opportunity too. Overall, this opportunity is capable of being executed into something revolutionary. Great find!
Hi Steven,
ReplyDeleteI believe that your opportunity is very relatable, especially for individuals in our generation. As technology advances, people tend to get more and more attached to their device. Many people procrastinate more because their phone or laptop or tv is sitting right near them. The temptation to be distracted by technology is very hard to resist and can affect the work of individuals. I believe that this opportunity can be addressed in many different ways and can benefit many students.
Hello Steven,
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly that phones are affecting us in our daily lives. We used to use phones as a way to connect with people who were not near us, but now that there is a whole platform of social media, it keeps us away from what goes on in our daily lives and affects who is around us. Everyone that has a phone is constantly distracted and trying to not miss out on anything that goes in the social world. There are many different ways to pull from this opportunity, though I do not believe that it is going to be easy. The distraction of having a phone has a lot of pull on people.