I decided to begin my User Research with secondary research to better understand the issue at hand, develop ways in which I can improve the usability and effectiveness of my product, and gain insight into what consumers are looking for in an application like the one I am creating. My full, in-depth research can be read here. Here is an overview of my most insightful findings:

Technology Addiction: Creating a healthy balance - (Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation)

• Technology is very addictive because it fulfills our human needs of stimulation, interaction, and environmental change.

• Technology has been compared to alcohol and other drugs when analyzing the impacts they have on the pleasure systems within our brains; thus, technology can very easily become an outlet of escapism, a way to boost our mood, or a "social lubricant" to connect with others.

• While technology is very helpful in our society, maladaptive consumption of device usage is extremely unhealthy.

"Is internet use unhealthy? A cross-sectional study of adolescent internet overuse" in the Swiss Medical Weekly - (Suris, Akre, Piquet, Ambresin, Zimmermann, and Berchtold)

• Researchers ran a longitudinal study (representative sample of 35 schools in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland) in which they analyzed six somatic health problems within participants, such as back problems, weight problems, headaches, musculoskeletal pain, sleep problems, and sight problems.

• The results showed a correlation between health issues in adolescence and high internet usage (above 4 hours a day). Problematic users tended to do less physical activity and sleep one hour less on average. Prevalence rates of obesity, poor emotional well-being, and chronic conditions were higher in problematic users.

• At the multivariate level, problematic users were more than twice as likely to suffer from sleep problems, 74% more likely to suffer from weight problems, 30-50% more likely to suffer from musculoskeletal or back problems, and 58% more likely to suffer from chronic conditions.

• In conclusion, it is proven that users with a screen time of above 4 hours are more likely to suffer from sleep problems, weight problems, musculoskeletal problems, and chronic conditions; therefore, users must lower their screen time to below 4 hours to prevent serious health consequences.

"Keep your screen happy: Improving the usability of screen time tracking apps" - (Pacherazova)

• "Hooked: A Guide to Building Habit-Forming Products" by Nir Eyal, an American author who specializes in behavioral design and habit formation, defined the Hook Method as a "simple yet powerful way in which consumers connect their problem with your solution".

• The Hook Model contains four different steps (trigger, action, reward, and investment) to get the user to move through the hook over and over, which, in turn, will create habitual behavior and get the user to come back to your product.

• The first step is the Trigger, in which users are told what they need to do to solve their problem and, therefore, use your product as a solution. These triggers could be obvious, external triggers (such as a button that says "Download Now") or more discreet internal triggers (such as a personal relationship that is developed between the user and the product). In my project, I will be using dialogue options, a storyline, and likable characters to keep users entertained.

• The second step is the Action, which includes the habitual behavior that evolves from the expectation of a reward and uses the motivations and abilities of the user. In my project, the action is reducing screen time with the expectation that users will gain rewards.

• The third step is the Reward, which is the noticeable solution to the user's main problem. In my project, the reward is seen in two different aspects: the solution to lowering users' screen time and incentives such as fun gameplay and mystery pets.

• The last step is the Investment, which is the thing that keeps users coming back. In my project, the investment is the reward and evolution system. As the app continues to be used, its value increases as users' evolve their pets and gain rarer, mystery pets.

• In conclusion, my app will incentivize users using the Hook Model so they want to continue to use the app and, by using it, they will continue to lower their screen time.

After learning more about what makes technology addictive and how device usage can become unhealthy, I wanted to learn more about the ways I can design this app so it is effective for users. Designers use the pleasure system described above to keep their users connected. The Hook Model is a way in which designers can tap into this system. In his book, "Hooked: A Guide to Building Habit-Forming Products", Nir Eyal, an American author who specializes in behavioral design and habit formation, defines the Hook Method as "a simple yet powerful way in which your consumers connect their problem with your solution". This problem could be boredom, finding the answer to a question, or connecting with friends or family. The Hook Model contains four different steps: trigger, action, reward, and investment. The goal is to get the user to move through this hook over and over, which, in turn, will create habitual behavior and get the user to come back to your product.