Summers, KathrynWalsh, GregRoyer, Suzanne2018-07-192018-07-192018-07-18UB_2018_Royer_Shttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/11018M.S. -- University of Baltimore, 2018Thesis submitted to the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Baltimore in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Interaction Design and Information ArchitectureBecoming an adult involves taking on additional roles and responsibilities, and with these come the inevitable challenge of facing competing commitments. One extreme and common case of this is the returning student, and because their needs are particularly dire, they are the primary focus of my research. Balancing areas of the returning students’ busy lifestyle is crucial to their success, and at the core of competency lies a strategy for allocating efficient use of their time, attention, and energy. Moreover, although time management and productivity tools abound, no single tool specifically addresses the obstacles returning students confront in managing their limited time, energy, and attention across sometimes conflicting and seemingly incompatible areas of life. As a proposed solution, I created a prototype of a mobile app chock full of productivity strategies that will benefit this target demographic—non-traditional students—among others. This paper presents key findings obtained from a usability research study testing the proposed solution with participants representative of the audience.101 leavesapplication/pdfen-USAttribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United StatesThis item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by the University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.non-traditional studentsadult studentsreturning studentsacademic attrition - low rates of persistence and degree attainmentjuggling busy lifestyledemand overload and role conflictproductivity strategiesleverage a finite amount of time, attention, and energy across competing areas of life in pursuit of academic goalsText