1. Designing to keep
Procrastination under control
Pascal Lola
Mudit Mittal
Leo Pak
Nic True

2. What is procrastination?

3. What is procrastination?
Delaying of critical tasks

4. What is procrastination?
Delaying of critical tasks
Mechanism of coping with anxiety

5. What is procrastination?
Delaying of critical tasks
Mechanism of coping with anxiety
Willful ignorance

6. Target user group

7. Target user group
Young adults

8. Target user group
Young adults
18-30 years of age

9. Target user group
Young adults
18-30 years of age
People who want to be helped

10. Design focus

11. Design focus
Empowering human agency

12. Design focus
Empowering human agency
Promoting well-being

13. Design focus
Empowering human agency
Promoting well-being
Reflection

14. Design focus
Empowering human agency
Promoting well-being
Reflection
Interpersonal growth

15. We acknowledge it is important for
people to focus on things they
want to do.

16. We acknowledge it is important for
people to focus on things they
want to do.
However, often people become
overwhelmed with things they
have to do.

18. A man named Andy…

38. On a typical day…

51. How about now?

54. Andy may have…
OPTION
PARALYSIS

55. OPTION
PARALYSIS
=
PROCRASTINATION

56. “The more decisions you have to
make, the more exhausted your
rational [mind] becomes – hence
paralyzing your ability to choose.”
Switch: How to Change Things When Change is
Hard

57. Andy now
makes…
COMMITMENTS

58. Committing to a task
enables Andy to
prioritize and hold
himself accountable.

59. Committing to a task
enables Andy to
prioritize and hold
himself accountable.

60. Committing to a task
enables Andy to
prioritize and hold
himself accountable.

61. Committing to a task
enables Andy to
prioritize and hold
himself accountable.

62. Committing to a task
enables Andy to
prioritize and hold
himself accountable.

63. Committing to a task
enables Andy to
prioritize and hold
himself accountable.

68. Andy may have…
TASK
INTIMIDATION

69. TASK
INTIMIDATION
=
PROCRASTINATION

70. “Resistance to doing a task is largely
a matter of the [brain] seeing the
task as a threat… the best way to
work on it is little and often rather
than occasional great bursts.”
Do It Tomorrow by Mark Foster

71. Andy now…
BREAKS TASKS
DOWN

72. Breaking tasks down
enables Andy to
make large tasks
less intimidating.

73. Breaking tasks down
enables Andy to
make large tasks
less intimidating.

74. Breaking tasks down
enables Andy to
make large tasks
less intimidating.

75. Breaking tasks down
enables Andy to
make large tasks
less intimidating.

76. Breaking tasks down
enables Andy to
make large tasks
less intimidating.

77. Breaking tasks down
enables Andy to
make large tasks
less intimidating.

78. paint living retile rearrange
room walls bathroom bedroom

80. ?
????
?

81. ? need…
Andy may
???
GUIDANCE
?
?

82. NO GUIDING PLAN
=
PROCRASTINATION

83. “Managing time effectively, and
achieving the things that you want to
achieve, means spending your time
on things that are important and not
just urgent.”
mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_91.htm

84. Andy now
receives…
SUGGESTIONS

85. Suggestions help
Andy manage his
tasks and rethink how
they can be done.

86. Suggestions help
Andy manage his
tasks and rethink how
they can be done.

87. Suggestions help
Andy manage his
tasks and rethink how
they can be done.

88. Suggestions help
Andy manage his
tasks and rethink how
they can be done.

89. Suggestions help
Andy manage his
tasks and rethink how
they can be done.

90. Suggestions help
Andy manage his
tasks and rethink how
they can be done.

91. I hadn’t
thought about
those…

93. 2 months ago

94. Today

95. Not much
has
changed?

96. Not much
Andy may not be…
has
changed!
REFLECTING

97. NO REFLECTION
=
RELAPSE INTO
PROCRASTINATION

98. “Slow designs are (behavioral)
change agents… shifting awareness
and perceptions.”
Changing the change: The Slow Design Principles

99. Andy can now
see and review…
REFLECTIONS

100. Reflections help Andy
to express and store
his thoughts for
review in the future.

101. Reflections help Andy
to express and store
his thoughts for
review in the future.

102. Reflections help Andy
to express and store
his thoughts for
review in the future.

103. Reflections help Andy
to express and store
his thoughts for
review in the future.

104. Reflections help Andy
to express and store
his thoughts for
review in the future.

105. Reflections help Andy
to express and store
his thoughts for
review in the future.

106. Maybe I am
making
progress.

108. What our design is NOT

109. People we are not designing for
People with procrastination that
stems from medical issues such as
clinical depression or ADHD

110. People we are not designing for
We are not attempting to diagnosis
procrastination habits

111. People we are not designing for
We are not attempting help all
procrastinators

112. Who we are designing for

113. People who have reached the
pivot point

114. People who want to help
themselves

115. Thank you
Questions?

116. Works Cited
Presentation Images:
flame textures
http://www.vectorlogotypes.com/vector-fire-logotypes/
baby
http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=1036270
Hell Michigan sign
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/NWS_Hell_MI.jpg/800px-NWS_Hell_MI.jpg
money
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61360523@N04/6244625467/sizes/l/in/photostream/
dishes
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rexroof/3339888585/
Netflix case
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiesrabbits/5031169794/sizes/l/in/photostream/
speech/thought bubbles
http://mediamilitia.com/thought-and-speech-bubbles-pack-104-free-vectors-and-images/
yardwork
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tourist_on_earth/3352329679/sizes/l/in/photostream/
stove
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theogeo/3045691351/sizes/l/in/photostream/
house
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/sfantti/131152221/sizes/o/in/photostream/
door
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/zen/2316506433/sizes/o/in/photostream/
research:
[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/your-money/27shortcuts.html
[2] Switch
[3] http://chronicle.com/article/Scholars-Turn-Their-Attention/63746/
[4] Allen, D. Getting Tings Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. Penguin Books, 2003.33
[5] http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_91.htm
[6] http://pdginnovates.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/transformative-learning-part-5-the-value-of-reflection/
[7] John Dewey, How We Think
[8[ Mark Foster, Do it Tomorrow
Team Procrastination would like to offer a heartfelt thank you to Kevin Flick and his wonderful daughter Cora for graciously volunteering to be
photographed.