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Overview

Context

Problem

Research

Ideation

Process

Solution

Reflection

FutureMe

Using intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to help university students overcome academic procrastination.

Using intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to help university students overcome academic procrastination.

Timeline

Feb, 2026 - Jun, 2026

Skills

Pyschological Research
UX & UI Prototyping

With

Lilly Athfield

Context

Using psychology to shape the design process.

FutureME is a prototype project Lilly Athfield and I designed by grounding our decisions in the psychology of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. By starting with researching these psychological concepts and why university students procrastinate, these findings guided the design solution.

Problem

The impact of procrastination on university students.

Procrastination is a common struggle for university students. It’s linked to lower academic results, poorer psychological wellbeing, and financial strain. Whether a student starts an academic task or avoids it is shaped by their motivation, emotion regulation and personal values.

90%

of students in higher education report procrastination behaviour

20 - 25%

of people procrastinate during everyday tasks

90%

of students in higher education report procrastination behaviour

20 - 25%

of people procrastinate during everyday tasks

Research

Exploring the psychology behind procrastination.

Academic Procrastination

Needless delay of academic tasks linked to:

Poor financial well-being

Poor psychosocial well-being

Poor physical well-being

Motivation

Directly effects procrastination

Two types:

Intrinsic

Extrinsic

Procrastination is the needless delay of tasks. The literature we reviewed showed that higher motivation leads to less academic procrastination, and this effect is strongest for intrinsic motivation. Students can build intrinsic motivation by seeing how a task connects to their identity and goals, or by finding more enjoyment in it. The research also suggested that reducing cognitive load lowers procrastination.

Academic Procrastination

Needless delay of academic tasks linked to:

Poor financial well-being

Poor psychosocial well-being

Poor physical well-being

Motivation

Directly effects procrastination

Two types:

Intrinsic

Extrinsic

Ideation

Turning psychology concepts into features

During ideation, we brainstormed how these psychological concepts could shape our intervention, focusing on ways to build intrinsic motivation and ease cognitive load. From these ideas, we created an application map and wireframes to plan our layouts. Key features included letters from students’ future selves, task trackers, and suggestions for when a student is procrastinating.

Wireframes and user flows to plan solution and features

Process

Creating a hi-fidelity prototype informed by our research.

Letter writing and receiving was our main focus, as it’s the primary way of building long term intrinsic motivation. We designed prompts that help students see how their academic tasks can be enjoyable or connected to their values.

A built-in task tracker supports this. Students schedule tasks in advance, which reduces cognitive load and makes starting easier. A short reflection can be added on why each task matters, linking it back to their letters.

While prototyping we decided to add levels and milestones to boost extrinsic motivation, especially during onboarding. These are tied only to the task tracker, as we deliberately avoided gamifying the letters. Extrinsic rewards act as a short-term mechanism while intrinsic motivation develops.

Showcase of letter writing, task tracking, and milestone features

Solution

Connecting students to their future selves to overcome procrastination.

FutureME is a prototype app designed to help university students overcome procrastination. Through letters to and from their future selves, students connect their academic tasks to their values and goals, building intrinsic motivation over time. A built-in task tracker eases cognitive load, while levels and milestones offer extra encouragement early on. Together, these features help students not just complete their tasks, but genuinely want to.

Product video

Presentation video

REflection

A psychology-led approach to UX design

Throiugh this project, I explored how using psychological research and concepts can be applied to inform a UX design solutions.

Designing for long-term behaviours

Designing for long-term behaviour change shaped both our approach and the mechanisms we used. For example, we added extrinsic rewards to encourage early adoption, but were careful to keep them away from the letters so they wouldn’t undermine intrinsic motivation.

Testing the psychology behind the design

Alongside the prototype, we planned how we would carry out user testing. Developing the two together shaped our final design, raising questions about how students would interact with FutureME and how we could motivate them to use it, both during testing and in everyday life.

Due to the project’s scope, we didn’t test with users. The next step for FutureME is user testing to confirm that it increases intrinsic motivation and reduces procrastination.

Designing for long-term behaviours

Designing for long-term behaviour change shaped both our approach and the mechanisms we used. For example, we added extrinsic rewards to encourage early adoption, but were careful to keep them away from the letters so they wouldn’t undermine intrinsic motivation.

Testing the psychology behind the design

Alongside the prototype, we planned how we would carry out user testing. Developing the two together shaped our final design, raising questions about how students would interact with FutureME and how we could motivate them to use it, both during testing and in everyday life.

Due to the project’s scope, we didn’t test with users. The next step for FutureME is user testing to confirm that it increases intrinsic motivation and reduces procrastination.