AVoid.
Supporting students ADHD in planning and task-management with an AI-powered browser extension.
My Role
UX/UI Designer
UX Researcher
Team
Sriya Ventrapragada
Eason Xinran Wang
Joon Kum
Timeline
Sept. 2024 - Dec 2024
Introduction
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is often misunderstood as just a “focus problem,” but it’s so much more. It impacts planning, time management, and the ability to break down big tasks into manageable pieces—skills essential for navigating academics and life.
For this project, my team and I set out to create a solution tailored specifically for students with ADHD, focusing on their unique challenges with executive function. Our aim wasn’t just to design a tool but to build something meaningful that empowers users to organize, plan, and succeed—without the overwhelm.
Target User
Students clinically diagnosed with ADHD attending higher education institutions in Georgia, US.
We focused on this group because of our access to this population as students at Georgia Tech, allowing us to gather insights directly from their experiences.
Problem Space
How might we support college students with ADHD in improving their executive functioning, such as planning, time management, and self-regulation, to better navigate academic challenges and improve their performance?
Initial Research
Method 01 ->
Findings
Background Research
Literature Reviews
Secondary Research
Existing Solutions Include:
Medication
Medication is the most effective solution, with 80% of patients responding positively, significantly enhancing focus and executive functioning.
Executive Function Coaching
Coaching helps students develop skills like time management and goal-setting through personalized sessions, empowering them to better manage academic tasks.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps reframe negative thoughts, set realistic goals, and improve self-discipline, aiding emotional regulation and attention control.
Organizational Tools
Tools like calendars and task lists help structure daily activities, break tasks into smaller steps, and reduce overwhelm (e.g., Google Calendar, Notion).
Method 02 ->
Survey
45 Participants
7 Days
Survey Deployment and Structure
Platform: Sub-Reddits for Georgia higher-ed institutions
Screening: Valid .edu email required
Final Sample Size: 45/51 respondents
Mixed question types: MCQs + short answers for qualitative and quantitative insights.
Information Goals
Academic challenges, symptoms, treatment options, and current management strategies.
Why
We conducted a survey as our first user-focused method to gather quick, broad insights on academic challenges, ADHD symptoms, and management strategies, building on our initial findings.
Survey Highlights
“Which impairments affect your academic performance the most?”
Motivation (getting started
& sustaining effort)
51.11%
26.67%
13.33%
4.44%
2.22%
2.22%
Inhibition control
(resisting distractions)
Working memory (holding
information in mind)
Emotional regulation (managing
frustration, stress, anger, etc.)
Planning and organization (setting
goals & prioritizing tasks)
Time Management
25%
0%
50%
75%
100%
“How do you motivate yourself to start and or complete academic tasks?”
Use rewards
Set small goals
Create a schedule
Ask for support
Other (Looming deadlines, music and pomodoro, external motivation of grades)
24.44%
24.44%
20%
26.67%
4.44%
“How long do you typically maintain your attention when engaging in academic tasks?”
82.22%
Of participants have an attention span less than 30 minutes
10-20 min.
42.22%
24.44%
15.56%
11.1%
6.7%
20-30 min.
<10 min.
>45 min.
30-45 min.
40% of participants faced challenges in accessing or using existing ADHD support services or accommodations at school
“They sent me to like 3 different buildings to talk to different people”
“I am too afraid to ask for accommodations because I don’t want to seem weak”
“I can't be bothered to perform the steps.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
“I don't even know if they exist.”
“Ironically tends to involve lots of executive functions to get help”
Method 03 ->
Semi-Structured Interviews
10 Participants
20-40 Min. each
Overview
After conducting surveys, we invited 9 participants from the survey pool who agreed to follow-up interviews, along with Sarah C. Burman, Assistant Director of Georgia Tech’s ODS (Office of Disability Services), for a total of 10 participants.
Information Goals
Academic challenges
Strategies employed to manage ADHD
Effectiveness of existing support systems
Why
Flexible format allowed for focused, in-depth discussions.
Relaxed setting encouraged participants to share openly, leading to valuable insights.
Ideal for uncovering specific design requirements and contextualizing pain points.
Analysis -> Findings
Affinity Mapping
Analysis -> Findings
Task Management & Tools
Students with ADHD face challenges with forgetting tasks, focusing, and prioritizing effectively.
Tools like calendars and task lists help externalize tasks and manage working memory.
Integrated, customizable tools reduce overwhelm by breaking tasks into smaller steps.
Motivation & Accountability
Rewards, gamification, and peer support boost motivation and productivity.
Emotional regulation tools and accountability systems aid focus and engagement.
Environmental & External Factors
Managing sensory distractions with tools like noise-canceling headphones improves focus.
Simplifying accommodation processes reduces frustration and encourages students to seek support.
Method 04 ->
Analysis & Findings
Hierarchical Task Analysis
(HTA)
2 Tasks
Task 1: Organizing the Day with Google Calendar
This task explores how students with ADHD use Google Calendar to organize their educational, personal, and work-related tasks and events. The process highlights the cognitive and environmental challenges faced by users.
Task Characteristics:
Effort Required: Completing this task involves 5-6 steps and cognitive effort to update and check the calendar regularly.
Flexibility: The task can be performed anywhere, making it convenient for on-the-go planning.
Challenges: Users with ADHD struggle with self-regulation, leading to difficulties in consistently updating and maintaining their calendars. This often results in frustration and incomplete scheduling.
Task 2: Utilizing Academic Accommodations at University
This task examines the multi-step process that students with ADHD must navigate to apply for and utilize academic accommodations through their university’s disability services center. The process is lengthy and requires substantial effort, often posing barriers to students with ADHD.
Task Characteristics:
Lengthy and Involved: The process averages 3 weeks, requiring persistent follow-up and coordination across multiple parties (e.g., doctors, family, university staff).
Complexity: Numerous steps, including documentation, meetings, and communication with professors, can be overwhelming for students with ADHD.
Self-Driven: Students are expected to independently initiate and manage the entire process, which can deter them from starting or completing the task due to motivational challenges commonly associated with ADHD.
Design requirements
We then identified the following 8 design requirements to guide the development of our solution.
Neutral Branding & Inclusivity
Design a universal, non-judgmental interface that avoids singling out ADHD users, supporting comfort and reducing stigma.
Positive Framing & Reinforcement
Celebrate progress with rewards and normalize ADHD experiences to encourage self-advocacy and reduce procrastination.
Equitable Access + Anonymity
Offer confidential access and usability for diverse socio-economic backgrounds to overcome barriers to seeking help.
Community Engagement & Support
Enable peer support and accountability through social features to keep users motivated and on track.
Alleviate Sensory Distractions
Reduce distractions like noise and visual stimuli to help maintain focus, especially in study environments.
Externalization of Thoughts and Imagery
Provide tools like visual task mapping to externalize thoughts, reducing cognitive load for users with working memory challenges.
Adaptive Workflows
Break down large tasks into smaller steps and allow flexibility to reduce overwhelm and improve productivity.
Simple Interface
Create an intuitive, minimal interface that lowers cognitive load and prevents frustration.
Early Ideas
Before arriving at our final solution, we explored several design concepts. Each idea was guided by our previous research design requirements. While some concepts were ultimately set aside, they played a crucial role in shaping our understanding of user needs and refining our design requirements.
See all ideas here
Notes
Sep 30th 8:45am
Save
Edit
Recording
ADA color system:
高对比度色彩系统
Smart Note-Taking Pen
StudySpotter
Study Spoter Rooms
GT Library R303
Quiet study room
Available
Hinman Building R112
Quiet study room
Currently Booked
DinoDo- AI and Gamification for your tasks
Finalized Design Concept
Our final concept is a browser extension designed for ease of access and seamless integration into students’ daily workspace. Its key feature, conversational AI, assists in planning by breaking down complex tasks into structured, manageable steps. This reduces cognitive effort and helps students overcome barriers to effective task execution.
To further refine and validate our final design concept, we conducted additional research focused on improving its core functionalities and aligning it with the needs of ADHD students. This included more literature reviews to understand the psychological and behavioral challenges of planning and time management, as well as a comparative analysis of existing tools to identify opportunities for differentiation.
Method 1 ->
Literature Review
Findings
Planning Challenges for ADHD Students
ADHD impairs executive functions (task prioritization, goal-setting), leading to procrastination, missed deadlines, and disorganization (Barkley, 2012).
Impulsivity in task initiation highlights the need for external planning tools (Young et al., 2007).
Reward System Justification
Rewards enhance task accuracy and motivation, a proven strategy for ADHD individuals (Rosch & Hawk, 2013).
AI Integration for Task Planning
Conversational AI improves self-regulation and planning in higher education (Kim & Bennekin, 2016).
Insights from CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
Focused CBT sessions on planning significantly improved ADHD students' planning abilities (Boyer et al., 2014), supporting the inclusion of a planning-focused solution.
Method 2 ->
Comparative Analysis
5 Systems
User Persona
& Journey Map
Prototype Development
User Flow
We created a user flow diagram to map the prototype experience, detailing each step for creating plans, managing tasks, and meeting deadlines. This helped us streamline processes, reduce friction points, and align key features like task breakdown and timeline adjustments with user needs, ensuring a smooth and intuitive navigation experience.
Information Architecture
Creating an information architecture diagram allowed us to seamlessly collaborate on the prototype design, visualize all functionalities cohesively, and align the tool’s structure with the needs of ADHD students.
Storyboard
Creating a storyboard provided a visual guide to the user’s interaction with our tool, illustrating how they might engage with it in their daily life.
Low Fidelity prototypes
AVoid.- HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
Login in with Google/Apple
Automatic syncing with users’ existing Google or Apple calendars enables the tool to access and display scheduled events, ensuring a cohesive planning experience while reducing the need for manual input.
Generate Plan
The "Generate Plan" page helps users create personalized project plans with options to adjust task complexity and focus duration. Users can highlight text directly from a page or type a description into an input box, refine their input, and let the AI generate a tailored plan with just a click.
View and Edit Plan
After generating a plan, users can view the AI-generated tasks organized by weeks and days, with estimated completion times and sessions based on attention span. They can edit tasks or adjust the schedule using an expanded calendar, then finalize their plan by clicking "Add to Calendar" to sync it with Google/IOS Calendar.
Calendar Integration for
Daily Task Reminders
The user’s Google or IOS calendar will provide daily reminders for scheduled tasks. This seamless integration reinforces progress, helps allocate time effectively, and encourages a structured routine, reducing the risk of missed deadlines.
Timeline Overview
The “Timeline Overview” tab visually organizes tasks with color-coded categories or projects for streamlined tracking. Key functionalities include:
Search Feature
Filter by Time Frame
Show/Hide Categories
Edit Timeline
Today’s Tasks
The "Today's Tasks" tab helps users focus on their daily priorities by displaying scheduled tasks alongside a Pomodoro timer. It highlights the "Current Task" for easy prioritization.
Pomodoro Timer: Encourages focus with structured intervals, reducing burnout and making tasks manageable.
Current task indicator
Check off completed tasks
Add New Task
The "Add New Task" tab provides a quick and flexible way for users to add smaller, spontaneous tasks by highlighting text on a page or typing directly into a text box.
Quick Capture
Flexible Input Options
Deadline Setting
Categorical Assignment
Completed Tasks
The "Completed Tasks" page serves as a historical record, listing all previously completed tasks. This feature allows users to revisit past work for reference or reflection.
Task Record
Reinforces Motivation: Visual marker of accomplishment and encourages continued productivity.
Builds Accountability
Planets Unlocked
The "Planets Unlocked" page functions as a reward system. Users unlock a unique planet upon completing a project, each accompanied by a description of the "arrival" date, a visual depiction of the planet's environment, and a collectible image. Users can save the planet image as a sticker to share, making achievements fun and shareable.
Settings
The Settings Tab allows users to customize their experience by enabling features like Task Carryover, adjusting font size, and selecting between light, dark, or system themes. Users can also access Help, Privacy, and About sections, and manage their accounts.
Finder
File
Edit
View
Go
Window
Help
Mon Oct 10 9:41 AM
Style guide
Typography
Color Palette
Concept Theme
Icons & Components
Browser Layout
Evaluation
Evaluation Focus
Time Management Strategies
Since one of our main goals with this tool is to help students with ADHD manage their time for school assignments, we wanted to measure the impact of features like the Pomodoro timer, task breakdown feature, and easy planning tools on students' time for project planning.
Simple Interface
Our design was implemented to be intuitive, easy to navigate, and have easier learnability to reduce cognitive load, aid attention, memory, and user retention by reducing the number of steps to complete. To evaluate their characteristics, we recorded the task completion rates and time taken to complete each task while conducting usability testing.
Method
Moderated Usability Testing
+ Thinking Aloud
7 Participants
40-50 Min. each
Evaluation Metrics
Task completion rate
Task completion duration
Qualitative insights from think-aloud evaluation
Tasks Evaluated
-> Task 1: Generate a plan for a long-term academic Project
Change the number of sessions for a particular task
Change the deadline for a task
Adjust workload based on busy days
-> Task 2: Edit the plan to make it suitable for your needs
Make changes to the generated plan
-> Task 3: Start working on daily tasks
Set the Pomodoro timer according to your needs
Mark tasks as completed
Data presentation
Metric: Task completion rate
Key Insights
Strengths
Task completion rates from Task 2 and Task 3 indicate that the prototype effectively supports task editing & daily management.
The interface and flows for these tasks are clear and easy for the user to follow. They have a high learnability rate.
Weaknesses
Participants faced trouble in generating and editing the plan generated as well as adding individual tasks to their calendar
Notable terms expressed during feedback: “Too Busy”, “ Can’t locate the icon”, and “ No feedback”.
Metric: Task completion duration
Key Insights
Participants reported that planning projects typically takes 2-3 hours, plus additional daily time for reorganizing schedules.
Using our prototype, users spent approximately 40-45 minutes setting up a plan, with occasional deviations to 1-1.5 hours.
-> This demonstrates a significant reduction in planning time compared to traditional methods.
Thematic Data
Thematic Analysis
Conclusion
Prototype Successes
Streamlined Planning: Reduced planning time by up to 50%.
Adaptable Workflows: Users appreciated adjustable task details and attention spans.
Ease of Access: Browser extension minimized distractions and fit seamlessly into workflows.
Neutral Branding: Tool resonated with both ADHD-diagnosed and non-diagnosed participants.
Externalization of Thoughts and Imagery: Visual task breakdowns and timelines helped users externalize agendas, reducing cognitive load and supporting task management.
Next Steps
Clarity and Customization of AI-Generated Content
Participants desired more accurate and contextually relevant AI outputs. Future designs should enable users to customize AI-generated plans, tailoring them to specific needs, goals, and tasks for improved usability.
Information Hierarchy and Visual Simplicity
Overwhelming visuals and unclear structuring hindered user focus. Future designs should prioritize clean, minimalist interfaces, clear labeling, and logical organization to reduce cognitive load and improve navigation.
Clearer Feedback and Onboarding
Users were unsure about key functionalities due to insufficient feedback and onboarding. Future iterations should include clear confirmation dialogs, tooltips, and concise interactive tutorials to guide users effectively.
Minimizing Visual Distractions
Users emphasized the need for focus-enhancing features, such as focus modes, muted backgrounds, and streamlined layouts, to maintain attention and prevent overwhelm.
Accessibility and Inclusivity
Participants noted barriers such as small icons and dense visuals. Future designs should integrate inclusive features like adjustable font sizes, high contrast modes, text-to-speech, and keyboard navigation to support diverse user needs.