Hidden Factors
Hidden Factors
Role
Role
Design Research
Design Research
Timeline
Timeline
Aug 2024 - Nov 2024
Aug 2024 - Nov 2024
Project Type
Project Type
Individual
Individual
Tools/Skills
Tools/Skills
Habit Tracker (iOS), Photo Diary, Digital Journaling, Design Probes, User Research, Qualitative Analysis
Habit Tracker (iOS), Photo Diary, Digital Journaling, Design Probes, User Research, Qualitative Analysis
Project Overview
Project Overview
Hidden Factors explores how mood, environment, and self-awareness shape everyday productivity and wellbeing. By combining self-created tracking methods with an existing habit-tracking app, the project reveals gaps in how current tools support reflection and personal work patterns.
Hidden Factors explores how mood, environment, and self-awareness shape everyday productivity and wellbeing. By combining self-created tracking methods with an existing habit-tracking app, the project reveals gaps in how current tools support reflection and personal work patterns.
The Problem
The Problem
I began this project after noticing changes in my own motivation and focus, which led me to question how mood, environment, and task type shape the way people work. While many productivity tools focus on task completion, they rarely account for these contextual factors that strongly influence everyday performance.
I began this project after noticing changes in my own motivation and focus, which led me to question how mood, environment, and task type shape the way people work. While many productivity tools focus on task completion, they rarely account for these contextual factors that strongly influence everyday performance.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Productivity is shaped by more than task completion. Mood, environment, and task intensity consistently influence how well people focus and perform.
Productivity is shaped by more than task completion. Mood, environment, and task intensity consistently influence how well people focus and perform.
Customisable tracking increases users’ sense of control and supports more personal ways of working, rather than forcing standardised routines.
Customisable tracking increases users’ sense of control and supports more personal ways of working, rather than forcing standardised routines.
Most habit-tracking apps focus on completion metrics and overlook emotional and situational context, which limits meaningful self-understanding.
Most habit-tracking apps focus on completion metrics and overlook emotional and situational context, which limits meaningful self-understanding.
Reflection is essential for turning tracking data into insight, enabling users to recognise patterns rather than simply record activity.
Reflection is essential for turning tracking data into insight, enabling users to recognise patterns rather than simply record activity.
Exploring the Hidden Factors
Exploring the Hidden Factors
Staying on top of daily tasks can feel straightforward, yet small details such as task type and work location can quietly shape focus, mood, and performance. In this phase, I created simple self-tracking tools to capture these less visible influences and observe how everyday context shapes the way people work over time.
Staying on top of daily tasks can feel straightforward, yet small details such as task type and work location can quietly shape focus, mood, and performance. In this phase, I created simple self-tracking tools to capture these less visible influences and observe how everyday context shapes the way people work over time.
Research Focus
Research Focus
How everyday task details shape work behaviour and wellbeing.
How everyday task details shape work behaviour and wellbeing.
How different task characteristics influence productivity and mood.
How different task characteristics influence productivity and mood.
Why the same activity can feel and perform differently over time.
Why the same activity can feel and perform differently over time.
How I Explored It
How I Explored It
Over five days, I used four simple self-tracking tools to capture how different task conditions influenced my focus, mood, and performance.
Over five days, I used four simple self-tracking tools to capture how different task conditions influenced my focus, mood, and performance.
1) Music Dice
I introduced randomness in my auditory environment by using a die to decide whether I worked with music (jazz, pop, or rock) or in silence. This helped me observe how different sound conditions influenced my mood and focus.
Roll a die each day to decide whether I worked with music (jazz, pop, or rock) or in silence, then note how it affected my mood and productivity.
2) Sticky Notes
I used coloured sticky notes to rate how intense each task felt and added short symbols or words to capture my emotional state. This allowed me to quickly log both task difficulty and mood in a lightweight way.
I used blue, green, and orange sticky notes to rate how intense each task felt (from low to high), and added a small symbol or word to capture my mood.
3) Bullet Journal
I kept a daily to-do list and wrote short reflections on how tasks progressed and how I felt while working. This supported regular reflection rather than just tracking completion.
Keep a daily to-do list and write a short reflection on how the tasks went and how I felt working through them.
4) Photo Diary
I took daily photos of my workspace to document environmental context and track how changes in location and setup influenced my productivity.
Take a daily photo of my workspace to capture the task environment and track changes over time.
What I Found
What I Found
After five days of self-tracking, clear patterns emerged around how task attributes and context shaped my productivity and wellbeing.
After five days of self-tracking, clear patterns emerged around how task attributes and context shaped my productivity and wellbeing.
Auditory Environment & Productivity
Music supported focus during cognitively demanding tasks, while silence often led to boredom and skipped work.
Variation within Same Activity
The same task produced different outcomes over time, shaped more by mood, timing, and context than by the task itself.
Influence of Intensity on Mood
Task and stimulation levels needed to align. Low-intensity tasks without sound felt dull and increased distraction.
Source of Enjoyment
Enjoyment consistently supported performance, with engaging tasks improving both mood and productivity.
Auditory Environment & Productivity
Music supported focus during cognitively demanding tasks, while silence often led to boredom and skipped work.
Influence of Intensity on Mood
Task and stimulation levels needed to align. Low-intensity tasks without sound felt dull and increased distraction.
Variation within Same Activity
The same task produced different outcomes over time, shaped more by mood, timing, and context than by the task itself.
Source of Enjoyment
Enjoyment consistently supported performance, with engaging tasks improving both mood and productivity.
Design Implications
Design Implications
Many productivity tools focus on task counts and time spent, often overlooking context, personal differences, and how people feel while working. These findings suggest that productivity is shaped by environment, emotion, and task intensity, and that standardised tools can limit self-awareness and behavioural insight.
This highlights the need for productivity tools that are more flexible, support personal ways of working, and include space for reflection alongside task tracking.
What This Led To
What This Led To
Creating my own self-tracking tools showed how playful, lightweight methods can encourage reflection and surface meaningful behavioural patterns. At the same time, the limited scope and single-user nature of this study revealed the need to test how these ideas translate to existing products and broader user groups.
Creating my own self-tracking tools showed how playful, lightweight methods can encourage reflection and surface meaningful behavioural patterns. At the same time, the limited scope and single-user nature of this study revealed the need to test how these ideas translate to existing products and broader user groups.
This led me to shift the focus of the next phase from self-made tools to evaluating how an existing habit-tracking app supports reflection and everyday productivity.
This led me to shift the focus of the next phase from self-made tools to evaluating how an existing habit-tracking app supports reflection and everyday productivity.
Testing an Existing Product
Testing an Existing Product
Productivity depends on more than effort alone. While many habit-tracking tools focus on task completion, they often miss the context behind changes in focus and motivation. In this phase, I shifted from self-made tools to testing the iOS app Habit Tracker to examine how app-based tracking supports self-awareness and habit formation.
What I Wanted to Explore
What I Wanted to Explore
How Habit Tracker supports focus and helps users notice the factors that influence productivity and wellbeing.
How Habit Tracker supports focus and helps users notice the factors that influence productivity and wellbeing.
Research Question
Research Question
Can Habit Tracker help users identify what affects their productivity and support sustained focus?
Can Habit Tracker help users identify what affects their productivity and support sustained focus?
How I Evaluated It
How I Evaluated It
Over five days, I logged tasks using Habit Tracker, documented my work environment through photos, and wrote short daily reflections. This approach allowed me to observe how changes in task type, environment, and routine influenced mood and performance in real working conditions.
Over five days, I logged tasks using Habit Tracker, documented my work environment through photos, and wrote short daily reflections. This approach allowed me to observe how changes in task type, environment, and routine influenced mood and performance in real working conditions.
Tracking Setup
Tracking Setup
For five days, I used Habit Tracker to log my tasks, documented my workspace through photos, and wrote short daily reflections to capture both behaviour and context.
For five days, I used Habit Tracker to log my tasks, documented my workspace through photos, and wrote short daily reflections to capture both behaviour and context.
Habit Tracker App
Habit Tracker App
Logged completed tasks and daily progress.
Logged completed tasks and daily progress.
Photo Diary
Photo Diary
Captured my work environment to track contextual changes.
Captured my work environment to track contextual changes.
Digital Journaling
Digital Journaling
Reflected on each task using two short prompts.
Reflected on each task using two short prompts.
What I Found
What I Found
After five days of tracking, clear patterns emerged around motivation, control, and focus, highlighting which aspects of the app supported meaningful productivity.
After five days of tracking, clear patterns emerged around motivation, control, and focus, highlighting which aspects of the app supported meaningful productivity.
Personal Configuration
Personal Configuration
Flexible task setup increased users’ sense of control and ownership over their workflow.
Flexible task setup increased users’ sense of control and ownership over their workflow.
Influence of Circumstances
Influence of Circumstances
Environmental and situational factors had a significant impact on focus, showing that productivity cannot be separated from context.
Environmental and situational factors had a significant impact on focus, showing that productivity cannot be separated from context.
Task Prioritisation
Task Prioritisation
Clear prioritisation supported better time management and a stronger sense of progress.
Clear prioritisation supported better time management and a stronger sense of progress.
Design Proposal
Design Proposal
Based on the patterns observed in both phases of the study, I proposed updates to Habit Tracker that make contextual attributes visible within the core task flow. The goal was to help users see not just what they completed, but the conditions under which they worked.
Based on the patterns observed in both phases of the study, I proposed updates to Habit Tracker that make contextual attributes visible within the core task flow. The goal was to help users see not just what they completed, but the conditions under which they worked.
Proposed Changes
Proposed Changes
Priority Meter Icon
Priority Meter Icon
Weather Icon
Weather Icon
Mood Icon
Mood Icon
Dropdown Icon
Dropdown Icon
I added priority, weather, mood, and dropdown indicators to the task progress bar to surface key task details at a glance. These attributes were chosen because task intensity, emotional state, and environment consistently emerged as the strongest factors shaping productivity across the study.
I added priority, weather, mood, and dropdown indicators to the task progress bar to surface key task details at a glance. These attributes were chosen because task intensity, emotional state, and environment consistently emerged as the strongest factors shaping productivity across the study.
This allows users to log and review how context affects their performance without adding extra steps, supporting reflection directly within everyday task tracking.
This allows users to log and review how context affects their performance without adding extra steps, supporting reflection directly within everyday task tracking.
Reflection
Reflection
This project shifted how I think about productivity, from focusing on task completion to understanding how mood, environment, and task type shape everyday performance. Designing my own tracking tools and testing Habit Tracker revealed the value of flexibility, but also the limits of relying purely on self-entered data.
This project shifted how I think about productivity, from focusing on task completion to understanding how mood, environment, and task type shape everyday performance. Designing my own tracking tools and testing Habit Tracker revealed the value of flexibility, but also the limits of relying purely on self-entered data.
While the app supported my preferred way of tracking, it offered little insight beyond what I logged myself. This highlighted a tension between personal control and meaningful system feedback, and the need for productivity tools to do more than simply record behaviour.
While the app supported my preferred way of tracking, it offered little insight beyond what I logged myself. This highlighted a tension between personal control and meaningful system feedback, and the need for productivity tools to do more than simply record behaviour.
Although this study was small in scope, it reinforced the importance of grounding design decisions in real contexts and everyday behaviour. It strengthened my interest in designing tools that support self-awareness and behavioural insight, rather than just efficiency.
Although this study was small in scope, it reinforced the importance of grounding design decisions in real contexts and everyday behaviour. It strengthened my interest in designing tools that support self-awareness and behavioural insight, rather than just efficiency.
Other Works
Other Works
Other Works
Urban Alert
Crowdsourced civic tech tools for reporting and resolving everyday infrastructure issues.
Crowdsourced civic tech tools for reporting and resolving everyday infrastructure issues.
Griddy Boards
Collaborative drawing pods that turn casual campus spaces into creative hotspots.
Collaborative drawing pods that turn casual campus spaces into creative hotspots.
Beyond Academia
Design work completed in collaboration with companies, alongside select independent and passion projects.
Glad you were here :)
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Kyaw Nyi Nyi
2025©All rights reserved.
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Glad you were here :)
I'd love to hear from you!
Kyaw Nyi Nyi
2025©All rights reserved.
Social
Glad you were here :) I'd love to hear from you!
Kyaw Nyi Nyi
2025©All rights reserved.
Social