Focusmate: 25min. Sessions
How might we offer a different session duration in addition to the standard 50-min session?
product design, UX/UI, user research
Challenge
How might we enable Focusmate users to control and customize their experience, while preserving the simplicity and social richness of the platform?
Action
I identified three of the most-requested features: adding co-working partners as favorites, booking sessions with favorites, and booking sessions of different durations (Focusmate currently only offers 50-minute sessions). I designed and tested a few different implementations of these features, using tools and methods such as journey mapping, user flows, wireframing, prototyping, and user testing through interviews and online surveys.
Roles and skills
product design, UX/UI, user research, prototyping, usability testing
Overview
The challenge
About Focusmate
Focusmate is a new (founded in 2017) and growing web-based service that lets people virtually co-work with partners around the world. You book a 50-minute slot, get matched with a partner and tell them what you’re working on (they do the same). Then both of you work on your respective task(s) while keeping video on. At the end of the session, you update each other on your progress. There’s also a chat feature to share goals or updates.
Design process and timeline
The Research
Primary research with 25 participants
Interviews, email correspondence, and survey responses from Focusmate users from around the world, including seasoned users (3000+ sessions) as well as those that joined just a few days ago
Secondary research using 30 responses
to the question ‘What would I change or add to Focusmate’ (available on users’ profiles)
I identified a number of opportunities at key moments in a user’s journey
I worked closely with Focusmate users through all phases of the project—exploratory research, ideation, and validation
I adopted a dynamic, mixed-method approach to learning about user needs and validating ideas
25-minute sessions: The Why
I considered several options before deciding to test only a 25-minute session option (in addition to the standard 50-minute session)
A 25-minute session?
Several users have asked for more session duration options in addition to the current 50-min offering. As I weighed more duration possibilities, I decided to only add a 25-min session option. There are a few considerations behind this decision: 25 or 20 minutes is the standard duration for the popular Pomodoro technique which is supported by productivity literature suggesting that our brains can only focus for roughly that period before needing a break. Another reason for choosing this direction is the limitation that if a user does not have the full 50 minutes (or, realistically, an hour considering it takes time to find a match), they cannot use Focusmate. If they only have 30 or 40 minutes, there’s no way for them to use that time productively with Focusmate. A 25-minute session makes it possible for them to take care of tasks that do not require extended periods of focus—email, chores, etc. Furthermore, some people might prefer to focus for shorter durations.
Another important reason for choosing this direction was feasibility. Too many options (25, 50, 75, 150-min) might overwhelm users while also making it a lot more difficult to find matches—a lose-lose situation. However, if users do want longer sessions, it can be achieved through adding more functionality to the favorites feature—for example, a user could put a 3-hour block on their calendar and choose to have it shown to their friends, the entire community, or both. I am currently exploring possibilities here.
User flow of the process of booking a longer or shorter session than one’s default setting
Prototype: Book a 25 or 50-min session
The flow received excellent feedback from test users
Key lessons
Embrace complexity
Even seemingly simple and straightforward features can present significant design, technical, and philosophical challenges. All of the features I worked on in this project raised questions about the pros and cons of including and excluding them from the experience.
For example, while the ability to add favorite partners may seem like a no-brainer to some users, for me it brought to fore critical questions about the value of a social, inclusive, everyone’s-invited experience I’ve had with Focusmate. How do we ensure that in adding favorite partners, users are not forgetting the delightful experience of supporting, and being supported by, strangers around the world.
Learn and create with the community
While I enjoyed all aspects of the project—initial research, ideation, and prototyping—I especially loved interacting with the wonderful, dedicated, and sincere Focusmate community. Not only were they eager to help me as a designer, they were also genuinely invested in the potential for improving and refining the platform.
I learned that Focusmate is one of those rare companies that are truly loved and supported by their users. I am glad I had an opportunity to work on Focusmate and, hopefully, helped the company’s designers and engineers in some way.
Prioritize
There are numerous opportunities to add value—user interface, branding and messaging, UX writing, and more—and it was easy to lose focus of the opportunities I had identified as crucial.
This project helped me hone my ability to identify what really is important and to focus on it fully.