Inspiration
Excessive social media use severely impacts mental health and attention in young people. I wanted to create a tool that raises awareness by making these effects visible.
What it does
(Dis)connected simulates the cognitive overload caused by heavy social media use, while providing strategies to help users manage these effects based on their situation.
How we built it
Built with React, the simulation uses findings from Peterson and Peterson’s research on short-term memory and attention. This helps replicate how social media disrupts attention realistically.
Challenges we ran into
Creating a realistic simulation of cognitive distraction while maintaining a user-friendly design required multiple revisions. Balancing authenticity without overwhelming users was a key challenge throughout development.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
The project combines scientific research with usability in an intuitive interface.
What I learnt
I improved my skills in combining research data with a technology idea to create a real impact. In other words, I gained experience turning theoretical concepts into user-friendly features.
What's next for (Dis)connected
I plan to add personalized user data tracking to get data to improve the product according to the user's needs and eventually expand outreach to schools and mental health programs for those who need it.
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