Intention - Distraction Blocker
2024
android
I made this app to stop endless doomscrolling. I'd keep catching myself opening Instagram the second I had a spare minute, and I'd stay in those apps a lot longer than I had to. The real problem is how easy it is to open these apps - and how they pre-load all media in the background. Things Intention solves:
  • Create friction to get in to distracting apps: When you open Instagram, Intention shows you a dialog that you have to long press to get in. The longer you long press, the more you can use the distracting app.
  • Wait 30 seconds after your time runs out: Take a mandatory 30 seconds timeout after the time you set runs out. I found 30 seconds to be the optimal time to get going with everyday life.
  • For longer sessions: If you want to use the distracting app for longer, with Intention, you have to type the words: I choose to use Instagram for 30 minutes.
I ran user studies by chatting with people at coffee shops and libraries, and I learnt time is the best mechansim to create friction to enter distracting apps works best. Math problems or random challenges like do a pushup before opening social media create too much friction and users just eventually uninstall those apps. Personally, Intention has changed my Instagram usage patterns completely. I rarely cross 30 minutes in a day now - setting an Intention before going in to a distracting app has really helped!
Intention - Distraction Blocker
2024
android
I made this app to stop endless doomscrolling. I'd keep catching myself opening Instagram the second I had a spare minute, and I'd stay in those apps a lot longer than I had to. The real problem is how easy it is to open these apps - and how they pre-load all media in the background. Things Intention solves:
  • Create friction to get in to distracting apps: When you open Instagram, Intention shows you a dialog that you have to long press to get in. The longer you long press, the more you can use the distracting app.
  • Wait 30 seconds after your time runs out: Take a mandatory 30 seconds timeout after the time you set runs out. I found 30 seconds to be the optimal time to get going with everyday life.
  • For longer sessions: If you want to use the distracting app for longer, with Intention, you have to type the words: I choose to use Instagram for 30 minutes.
I ran user studies by chatting with people at coffee shops and libraries, and I learnt time is the best mechansim to create friction to enter distracting apps works best. Math problems or random challenges like do a pushup before opening social media create too much friction and users just eventually uninstall those apps. Personally, Intention has changed my Instagram usage patterns completely. I rarely cross 30 minutes in a day now - setting an Intention before going in to a distracting app has really helped!