Distraction Free Writing Session
Design a focused writing mode that protects a chosen draft, blocks selected distractions, and recovers safely after interruption.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Writers may want temporary protection from notifications and distracting sites, but strict blocking can also hide research, emergency communication, or an unsaved draft.
User context
Inez has ninety minutes to revise an essay. She needs access to three research sources and messages from her editor, while social feeds and news should remain unavailable.
Product problem
The product must create a meaningful boundary without trapping the writer or presenting focus as more important than data recovery and urgent access.
Objective
Design session setup, protected writing, interruption handling, and session review.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Focus session setup
- Minimal writing workspace
- Emergency or research exception
- Autosave recovery
Screens and states
- Session plan
- Writing mode
- Blocked distraction
- Recovery state
- Session summary
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Inez chooses a draft and ninety-minute goal
- 02
She allows research sites and editor messages
- 03
A blocked news link offers a deliberate exit choice
- 04
A browser crash restores the latest draft and remaining time
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Show what will be blocked before starting
- Save locally and remotely with visible status
- Provide explicit emergency exit
- Allow a small named exception list
- Preserve writing after a crash
Constraints
- Browser controls cannot block every external app
- Connectivity may fail
- Exiting early must remain possible
Reality check
States worth considering
Ready-to-use content
Mock data
Use this content to test hierarchy and realistic data states. You can expand it when the concept needs more depth.
Writing session
- Draft: Field Notes essay
- Goal: revise 1,200 words
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Allowed: editor messages and 3 research domains
Finish line
What to deliver
- Five desktop or mobile states
- A save-status and recovery model
If you want more
Optional extensions
Optional direction
Visual resources
Use these as a starting constraint if you want one. They are not part of the required solution.