I have been working as an undergraduate research assistant on the topic of "Improving Everyday Ethics", and I am most interested in topics around tech ethics and digital wellbeing. In our lab research, I have learned about many intentionally designed dark patterns that are embedded in our everyday digital systems. Big tech companies consume user's time and attention to fulfill their business goals, as we learned from the Social Dilemma "If you are not paying, you are the products." ‘

As our professor said in class, “How designers treat attention as a resource should be a fundamentally engrained ethical issue.” (Purdue UX Studio). This individual project allows me to explore a handful of interactions that would address technology addiction, and the context I chose is anti-Instagram-addiction.

Background Information

Signs that you have Instagram addiction? [5]

That urge to obsessively take a “scroll break”
Can’t stop taking pictures and sharing on Instagram
You would pay for followers
You feel attacked when you don’t get the reactions you want to get on Instagram
Obsessively checking photos of people you love or hate

What makes Instagram so addictive?

Shareability- will my followers like my photos? [5]
A way to escape the dreariness of everyday life[5]
Research shows “reward circuitry applies to digital addictions, through the stimulus of unexpected gains in perceived reputation when sharing a piece of content.” [7]

Why do people want to get rid of Instagram addiction?

Studies [1] [2] have shown the link between phone addiction and the risk of experiencing anxiety and depression. Face-to-face social interactions enhance well-being, and research [4] suggests excessive social media usage could be a tradeoff between offline and online interactions.

“Deleting social media reduced my anxiety. I felt so much pressure to ‘like,’ and ‘comment’ on people’s posts.” - Quora Post
“We are all guilty of overusing with Instagram and other social media. Using Instagram all the time can waste your time and cause some serious mental troubles for you.”[6]

Problem Space

How Might We

Translating user problem statement into the design statement

Help instagram- addited users to limit mindless scrolling time, so that users have control over their time and attention, therefore increased overall well beings?

Variations of How might we
help Instagram- addicted users to limit mindless scrolling time, so that users have control over their time and attention, therefore increased overall well beings.

How might we make scrolling through Instagram less addictive?
How might we help users monitor their behavior while using the app?
How might we create distractions when users are scrolling through Instagram feeds?
How might we design “scrolling breaks” to be beneficial to user’s wellbeing?
How might we change mindless to conscious and intentional scrolling?
How might we make the mundane tasks that users need to spend time on more attractive?
How might we provide a sense of fulfillment when users successfully limit their app usage?
How might we make users feel rewarding if they limit their mindless scrolling time?
How might we make the gain (likes, followers) in received reputation predictable, instead of unexpected? (relate back the reward circuitry factor contributing to Instagram addiction)

Affinity Grouping

Preliminary Sketching

Idea 1: Make scrolling less addictive by creating obstacles

What if Instagram provide a “relax‘ and “warning” mode. The warning mode provide a sense of urgency with a timer count down and it’s not enjoyable to scroll through.

Idea 2: Monitor app-use behaviors

What if instagram tracks and visualizes the hours you spend on scrollingUser will first set a time limit. If they wish to ignore limit and continue, then they need to swipe up really hard and then a timer will appear on top of the page counting how … — What if instagram tracks and visualizes the hours you spend on scrolling
User will first set a time limit. If they wish to ignore limit and continue, then they need to swipe up really hard and then a timer will appear on top of the page counting how much time the user has exceeded expected time limit

Idea 5: Make instagram reputation gain predictable

Instagram will generate anticipated number of like and comments based on the quality of the post and past posting activities.  If the result is accurately enough, and unexpected gains in perceived reputation will turn into anticipated and fores… — Instagram will generate anticipated number of like and comments based on the quality of the post and past posting activities.

If the result is accurately enough, and unexpected gains in perceived reputation will turn into anticipated and foreseeable results, therefore the level of excitement and anticipation would be lowered.

What if Instagram hides away on your phone. During your “work hours”, you can’t even find instagram on your phone, but it will appear in the search after the” work hours” is over.

Idea 3: Substitute “scrolling breaks” with other hobbies

According to articles online about how to get rid of Instagram addiction, one of the best ways users reflected worked was found a hobby in offline life. Therefore, taking this “scrolling break” online would not be a beneficial solution for users. The idea is eliminated.

Idea 4: Reward user when limit their scrolling time

What if Instagram does not provide real-time feedbacks (comments and likes), and users will see cumulated feedback/notifications from Instagram at the end of day. Receiving all the likes and comments at once would be a satisfying “reward” for u… — What if Instagram does not provide real-time feedbacks (comments and likes), and users will see cumulated feedback/notifications from Instagram at the end of day.
Receiving all the likes and comments at once would be a satisfying “reward” for users. Since users have the option to choose what time they don’t receive any notifications from instagram, then it would help limit the the app usage especially for those who have the urge to check how many people have liked their photos constantly.

Idea Evaluation

Based on the evaluation result, the top ideas that fit the criteria of being useful, feasible, innovative and interesting are idea 1 and idea 4

Prototyping

Idea 1: adding obstacles to scrolling through Instagram

This idea proposes two Instagram mode: relaxed mode, and warning mode.

Relaxed mode is the normal Instagram page view.

Warning mode is when the user excessed limited time spent on Instagram and continue to ignore, the interface will turn into the warning mode. To ignore the time limit, users will have to drag the screen upward, with a lot of frictions, and then the mode will be switched to warning mode

User will first set Instagram screen time — User will first **set Instagram screen time**

Relaxed mode- Normal Instagram Interface — **Relaxed mode**- Normal Instagram Interface

User cannot perform more scrolls when reaching the time limit

Drag upwards with a lot of forces to ignore the time limit and continue browsing — **Drag** upwards with a lot of forces to **ignore the time limit** and continue browsing

Enter warning mode — Enter **warning mode**

Idea 4: reward users if they limit their Instagram screen time

This idea proposes a “work hour” mode on Instagram. Users will not be unable to check notifications of likes, comments, new followers, nor to view any likes, comments, and notification center in the Instagram app.

This solution will help users who are obsessed with the shareability of Instagram and always have the urge to check if their followers liked their photos. The idea is to provide cumulated notifications (likes and comments) after work hours, and reduce the number of Instagram checks when at work since there is nothing much to see.