Personal Digital Wellbeing Plan
Design a nonjudgmental phone-use dashboard that helps someone set boundaries, understand patterns, and recover from an overuse day.
The brief
Understand the problem
Background
Screen-time totals can create guilt without explaining what use was intentional. Restrictive tools also fail when people need maps, accessibility services, work apps, or urgent communication.
User context
Noah wants to reduce late-night short-video use while keeping music, messages from family, and an accessibility reader available.
Product problem
The product must separate chosen and unwanted use, make limits reversible, and avoid diagnosing addiction from device activity.
Objective
Create pattern review, boundary setup, active support, and recovery after a limit is exceeded.
What to design
Define the experience
Required experience
- Usage pattern overview
- App and time boundary setup
- In-the-moment pause
- Weekly reflection
Screens and states
- Wellbeing overview
- Boundary builder
- Limit reached
- Weekly reflection
Core user flow
Follow the critical path
- 01
Noah reviews evening use by category
- 02
He sets a wind-down boundary for selected apps
- 03
He reaches the limit and chooses a ten-minute extension with a reason
- 04
The next day he adjusts the plan without losing history
Product rules
Requirements and constraints
Requirements
- Distinguish categories and intentional sessions
- Support essential and accessibility exceptions
- Offer pause, extend, and stop choices
- Keep tone neutral
- Explain operating system limitations
Constraints
- Usage data can be incomplete
- The app cannot diagnose a behavioral condition
- Device controls vary by platform
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.
Evening pattern
- Short videos, 74 minutes
- Family messages, 26 minutes
- Music, 48 minutes in background
- Planned wind-down began 38 minutes late
Finish line
What to deliver
- Four mobile screens
- A limit-reached state with respectful recovery choices
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.