#visualdiary5

Statistics that I found when conducting preliminary research show that 47% of Americans admit they’re addicted to their phones, the average American checks their smartphone 352 times per day, 71% of people spend more time on their phone than with their romantic partner, almost two-thirds of children spend 4+ hours per day on their smartphones, 44% of American adults admit that not having their phones gives them anxiety, and cell phones cause over 20% of car accidents (Howarth).

According to an article from Verizon, “every cell phone user is at risk of developing an addiction to their device, [but] teens are more likely to become addicted to cell phones than any other age group. According to a study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, adolescents under 20 years old are the most at-risk for cell phone addiction because this age group is more likely to experience behavioral problems” (Cell Phone Addiction). 

Teens are the most at-risk group “because they haven’t developed self-control skills yet. Media management for teens may be nonexistent and the same study found that about 27% of smartphone owners between 11 and 14 years old never turn their cell phones off, even to sleep” (Cell Phone Addiction). Verizon notes a few risk factors for cell phone addiction that include anxiety, depression, low-self esteem, introversion, a lack of self-control and the inability to control one’s impulses (Cell Phone Addiction).

Technology addiction can be considered a behavioral addiction due to the “neurological changes that take place in the brain while being online” (Mally, 2023). A behavioral addiction can be defined as a progressive inability to control, regulate, or limit the behavior, meaning technology addiction also shares similarities with obsessive-compulsive disorders, gambling, and sex addictions. Technology addiction includes more than just doom scrolling on social media though, with an increase in access to video games, social networking, and surfing the internet” (Mally, 2023). Before getting into the negative effects technology has on young adults, it’s important to note how much easier, more efficient, safer, and advanced we as a species have become due to technology, but it also has its cons. According to Sandstone Care, technology addiction can “negatively affect our sleeping habits, communication and relationships, mental health, and physical health… [and] often distracts us from important things and tasks and decreases the time we spend with face-to-face interaction” (Mally, 2023). Physical and mental defects to technology addiction include “headaches, neck pain, poor hygiene, sleep problems, weight gain, eye problems… processing information, social skills, and problems at work, school, or in relationships” (Mally, 2023). Some of the most damaging effects of being addicted to screens are the effects they can have on brain development. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “the ABCD study revealed that kids who used screens for more than 7 hours a day had a thinner cortex, [which is the area of the brain that processes information] than those who used screens less. Too much screen time has also been associated with a higher risk of developing mental health disorders, such as depression or anxiety” (Mally, 2023). Tactics to help people struggling with technology addiction before seeking treatment can be to avoid screen-time at night, turn off your phone during meals, turning off notifications*, and setting time limits for apps, or devices in general. 

*It’s important to turn off notifications, or turn your sound on, not just muting them, because when your phone is muted you’re more likely to obsessively check your phone for updates instead of just leaving your phone in your pocket until your sound haptics go off.

References

Cell Phone Addiction: What You Need to Know. (n.d.). Verizon.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023, from https://www.verizon.com/articles/cell-phone-addiction/#:~:text=To%20prevent%20cell%20phone%20addiction

De Guzman, C. (2023, August 3). China Wants to Limit Children’s Smartphone Use to Combat Addiction. Here’s What to Know. Time. https://time.com/6301185/china-smartphone-addiction-children-limit/

Howarth, J. (2022, July 26). 57+ Incredible Smartphone Addiction Statistics for 2023. Exploding Topics. https://explodingtopics.com/blog/smartphone-addiction-stats#

Mally, C. (2023, February 12). Technology Addiction - Teen & Young Adult. Sandstone Care. https://www.sandstonecare.com/blog/technology-addiction/#:~:text=Technology%20can%20negatively%20affect%20our

For your fifth visual diary assignment, instead of finding examples of existing designs, we'll focus on what can be learned from the design process, specifically your ethnography assignment. Please post photos and/or short videos of the subjects you speak with describing their tension points with the topic you selected. You might want to write about some or all of the following:

How did you approach the questions you asked?

How did you get the subject to talk more about their tensions?

Which methodology and/or resources did you find most useful in conducting the ethnography? 

I tried to be very blunt with my questions, asking if they felt they were addicted to a device or app, how much screen time they think they use per day and per week, and then looking at how much they actually use, ways they try and combat using their phone too much, and what their plan or goals are for achieving those goals.

The people I’ve talked to so far are my parents, friends, and coworkers so they’ve been pretty open about talking about their device usage or ways they try to limit screen time when I was a kid, or for my coworkers' kids. 

Visual Diary #5  |  Ethnographic Research

For my next post, I wanted to highlight some of my own findings and experiences with children and technology and how it affects them in a social setting.

This is my niece, Harper, she is 2 and 1/2 years old. Unfortunately, I was not able to make the trip to see her in time for this assignment, but I was able to interview my sister for part of my ethnographic research.

In this post however, I want to talk about my own personal observations that played into my research and understanding of this topic. I would say her initial interest in technology began when she was a little over 1 year old. This was mainly just wondering what we were looking at on our devices and what devices themselves where. She quickly learned the phone, but tablets were especially interesting to her since we don’t use them as a phone. The older she gets, the more distracted she becomes by these devices. The thing is, I totally get it. It make sense why kids are fascinated with these objects and we are guilty of using our devices constantly in their presence.

One specific example of my experience of technology being a distraction for her was when I’d play with her. We’d just be reading a book or playing with blocks and stacking them, when she’d catch a glance of my smart watch. It was amazing how all of her attention diverted to it instantly. I wear a smart watch for health and fitness tracking and as a way to not have to constantly look at my phone for notifications. She immediately wanted to touch my watch and swipe it and play with it. I’d move my arm from sight but she still went looking for it, so I had to take it off in order to continue playing with her. While I understand children are curious about these devices and technology, it is slightly concerning that they drop anything else they are doing and become consumed by them. 

Visual Diary 5  |  Ethnography Assignment

I wanted to use this opportunity to introduce my topic for my ethnography assignment and ultimately, what my Design Leadership Project will be.

I’m addressing the issue of children and their interaction with technology. More specifically - How can we make sure children are developing the necessary social skills in a world full of technology that may inhibit their development.

This is a big issue to take on, but I found this photo online and it’s a perfect example of this type of interaction. Taking your kids to the grocery store is not a fun task, but we must ask ourselves if giving them a phone to play on to keep them entertained is the right thing? I’d like for us to all reflect on moments we remember having as children in the grocery store. What kind of social cues did we pick up on while there, or what lessons did we learn while there?

This photo was especially interesting to me because not only is the child playing on a phone in what is clearly Walmart, the parent has even provided a band that attaches the phone to the grocery cart handle. There are several things we can gather from this image. One, the parent cares that their child does not drop the phone or damage it - they want the phone to be protected and stable. Another thing we can gather is that giving the child the phone while grocery shopping was pre-meditated. We know this because they purchased a specific contraption that allows the phone to attach to the grocery cart handle. We also can gather that the child’s main focus is on the phone and certainly not on the person taking this photo or anyone else. The boy is focused and content and the parent or adult is getting their task of going to the grocery store completed with ease. 

Visual diary #5 | Questionnaire

After the initial set of user interviews, I created a simple Google Forms questionnaire to send out. The questionnaire had 10 questions that had been improved and tweaked throughout the in-person interviews.

After sending this questionnaire out to family, friends, and coworkers, I set out to conduct in-person research at supermarkets, restaurants, coffee shops, and the gym.

By this time, I had made a small but significant tweak to the initial problem statement. It changed from "How can technology help consumers waste less time?" to "How can technology help us spend less time in lines?" The two big changes were dropping consumers in favor of 'us' and focusing on spending time in 'lines' instead of 'wasted time.' I realized everyone sees their time differently and I would need to establish control that everyone could quickly understand when answering questions.

Restaurants

I live in Austin, TX. It's a big foodie city and there are a huge amount of incredible restaurants, many of which are in food trucks. Once I began this project, I tried to pay more attention to others outside my party when we ate out. I quickly noticed people didn't seem to mind waiting in line if they were with friends and family. Some restaurants had long wait lines but many people didn't seem to care because they were waiting in line for great food. While waiting in line at a small pop-up taco shop, I did not see the same reaction. People here were largely alone, likely taking their lunch break. Here, everyone was on their phones looking for a distraction. While visiting popular restaurants, many people seem to understand and accept the fact they will be waiting in line. They seemed to roll that into the entire experience. At other smaller restaurants, customers treated the experience as more transactional. Picking up their food and leaving as quickly as possible.

Supermarket

While waiting in line at the supermarket, many people seemed to be scanning for more efficient checkout lanes. A surprising number never took their eyes of the lines before them, seemingly ready to switch at any point they thought they could check out faster. They didn't seem bothered, happy, or sad. They seemed motivated. 

The questionnaire I shared via email included a few questions that sought to define user pain points while waiting in line. I asked about which lines were the most bothersome, what an 'acceptable' amount of time to wait before getting seated at a restaurant, and others. After sending the questionnaire out, several of my coworkers and friends emailed or texted offering suggestions or input that I hadn't accounted for in the study. Going forward, I will be adding more questions to get a better sense of how people see their time waiting in lines.

Visual diary #5 | Initial user interview + study

The initial problem I chose to tackle was "How can technology help consumers waste less time?" After doing some initial research and interviewing friends and coworkers, I decided to tweak this question to be more specific. 

How can technology help us spend less time in lines?

I first created a 'dumping ground' for all of my notes, ideas, screenshots, photos, and thoughts. I chose to use RealtimeBoard because it was simple to use and available everywhere (its browser-based). After researching online, I discovered most of the products and services geared towards 'wasting less time' were very specific in the type of wasted time they sought to eliminate. Many focused on wasting less time:

At work

On the internet

In traffic

On social media

I found these articles to be helpful, but they weren't really helping me understand how to utilize technology to save time. The few products I did come across were also marketed to tackle one of the above topics. The only product that sought to save people time by leveraging existing technology was Google 'Popular Times' feature that appears in some Google searches. It shows how busy a business typically is during different times of the day and shows the average time spent by most visitors.

After my initial research, I set up a handful of preliminary interviews with friends. I wanted to use this time to fine-tune my list of questions, before creating a Google Forms study to share with a wider audience. While sitting down and discussing the topic, I realized my initial question was far too broad. Nearly every person I spoke with had trouble discussing the idea of 'wasted time' but could talk at length about spending time waiting in lines. I think this is due to each of us having a different idea of what 'waste' means. For some, sitting in traffic can be a waste of time. For others, it can be an escape and an opportunity to catch up on an audiobook or call a friend. I realized if I wanted to solve a problem in this space, I needed to frame my problem to include something more users could collectively understand.