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  • Writer's pictureAbhrojit
    • Jan 26, 2023
    • 16 min read

Taking the busy schedule into account and understanding the need and importance of creating a Super-


Abstract


The author attempts to comprehend the relevance of the consumers of daily lives where employment and various differential commitments affect and at times severely impair their functioning of daily lives through this research. Multiple aspects of the user are negatively impacted by strong digital engagement, which often comes at the expense of grasping the objective of the work at hand, resulting in multiple blunders and, as a result, an emotional disassociation with the platform. Taking into account the recipients’ busy lifestyles in tier 1 cities in India, using qualitative data gathering in which respondents were asked about the difficulties they experienced in managing their daily lives, an idea for a super app where the user can dictate their daily lives was conceptualised. A super app which performs multiple tasks while limiting digital engagement like limited screen time thereby helping users limit their digital footprints.


Keywords: lifestyle, busy schedule, productive, emotional design, Super-App



Introduction


Going into 2023 the inert relationship between need and want among consumers gets thinner as ‘need’ replaces those categories which were placed previously in the category of ‘want’ in most aspects of a consumer’s life. To manage a busy schedule most consumer has multiple aspects recorded and stored in the digital medium. With higher needs and goal-oriented life, many consumers turn to technology to keep track, provide entertainment and help with their lives. Therefore, many apps and other digital interfaces provide the same features and ultimate purpose to a consumer’s life. Most of these apps belong to the same segment, targeting the same users or the aspects of the user’s lives where the ultimate purpose coincides with the lifestyle of the user. Hence to compete in a critical environment induced with stringent targets and catered goals most of these apps try and provide recourses and content in the same or similar segment with different narrative structures. According to new research For eg. In the OTT(over-the-top) landscape in India, there are multiple players from international names like Netflix and Amazon Prime to domestic and regional names like Disney Hotstar and Hoichoi al (What Is OTT? | Telestream, n.d.)


The functionality of software products often does not match user needs and expectations. (Optimized Functionality for Super Mobile Apps, 2017) It naturally becomes significantly difficult to manage multiple apps and platforms all at once as most people who use these apps are otherwise busy in their lives. A lot of apps and aspects of the lives of a consumer revolve around paying at particular yet regular intervals popularly called a ‘subscription’ or EMI (Equated Monthly Instalment). In this article, we will see the need for the existence of similar apps and the requirement of super apps to manage a lifestyle better.


To make one's life better or rather more enriching the user today interacts with a lot of digital products and services regularly which has become a part of their lifestyle. As a habit becomes part of one’s lifestyle it starts to impact different attributes of their lifestyle. This leads to increased screen time and digital association by the user.



The Ever-increasing Screen time


According to new research, too much screen time can lead to obesity, sleep problems, chronic neck and back problems, depression, anxiety and lower test scores in children, (2021). In an era of high digital engagement among almost all age groups, multiple communications with differential narrative structures can lead to delusion and this confusion can lead to a loss of time and resources. Users can face severe economic loss as this activity creates a financial loss.


During the research conducted by me and described below multiple users have reported that they have subscribed to services via digital platforms by mistake and at times they were not notified about expiring subscriptions on time because of which they had to incur a fine causing a financial loss. Increased screen time and a very high engagement quotient with digital products give out a loss of connection with the productibility of the purpose of the platform leading to a loss of time and resources.

The lives of the users have possibly become complicated as well. In a research study done by the researcher where several college students at Unitedworld Institute of Design, (UID), Ahmedabad, were asked about their day most spoke about their day which starts with digital engagement. They spoke about waking up to screen interaction whether it was just an alarm or surfing through social media or reading the short version of the news. Most students and professionals reported that they are mostly pitted against odds to perform tasks across multiple channels every day. A typical day in college would include lectures, group discussions, and working on internships or projects all of which require some screen time or the other.


Interestingly most users reported that their source of study or work and a break from study and work involved an engagement with screen time. One user reiterated that the only form of escape from boredom is screen engagement. While one cannot completely negate engagement from screen time what needs to be understood is how can one streamline regular engagement to help the users concentrate on other engagements in life.


While we may not be able to completely control the usage of screen time as such usage depends on the lifestyle of the user and is severely subjective one can try and find simple but multiple solutions to tackle multiple payment gateways and multiple subscriptions at the same time. In research from Stasha Google Home added a whopping 7.2 million new US users in 2018 alone. Google home statistics for 2020 show that more than 28 million smart speakers were sold globally in the first quarter of the year. In comparison, around 26.1 million in Q1 of 2019 and 55.8 million devices in Q4 were sold. Amazon led the market by selling 1.1 million smart speakers, followed by Google and Baidu. (2022) Hence the need for voice assistants as super apps where they are helping students are increasing every year. Users want to have one simple place where important transactions are available.



The Zeigarnik Effect creates a feeling of unaccomplishment


In research from Nickerson … (2021), the Zeigarnik Effect is described as a psychological tendency to remember an uncompleted task rather than a completed one. What this means is people remember an uncompleted task more than a completed task as this creates a sense of a lack of achievement in the mind of the user. This lack of accomplishment creates mental triggers especially when an average person in their 20s has more than 30 apps installed on their phone and some tasks are pending in each of these apps. What this means is a sharp increase in the screen time and digital engagement of those apps leading to a sharp decline in productivity.

In research from Sultana et al. Many studies during COVID-19, as well as in the pre-pandemic era, assessed screen time in children and younger populations which can be a research trend attributable to the fact that these populations are more vulnerable to increased screen time with lesser self-control and this is likely to have long-term consequences. (2021). With the inert lifestyle going back to a new sense of normalcy in the post-pandemic phase it becomes critical for users to balance screen time and digital engagement so that not to affect their lifestyle.


Hence a solution to these multiple unaccomplished tasks must be designed in such a way that all unaccomplished tasks are brought onto the same platform. Thus the need for a super-app increases.



Respecting the independence of the users


Just like the new generation detests being assisted when on a personal physical shopping spree the same philosophy needs to be mimicked when exploring the digital version. The idea of popup windows showing instant discounts or an attempt to affiliate-selling a product is undeniably met with confusion, irritation and behavioural constraints.


However careful assistance which can be referred to as smart assistance helps in living a calculated and enriching life and is something that most users said that they look forward to as it doe not irritate but creates clarity through their busy lives. Most subjects have expressed the need to be able to remember things, and basic things about lifestyle choices when it comes to the smooth functioning of daily day-to-day life which is busy and has multiple layers of emotions affecting productivity throughout the day. Some users have claimed that on multiple occasions they have had to overpay or reinstall types of equipment because they had forgotten to purchase on time which cost them both time and critical resources.


Need for Research

The need for research arises in order to find a better solution to the ever-increasing screen timing by users. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the average screen time (including television) by age: kids 8–10 years old spend six hours on screens, kids from 11–14 spend nine hours, and teens 15–18 spend seven-and-a-half hours on screens per day. (Effects of Screen Time on Kids of Different Ages, n.d.) These hours increase with age and with more responsibilities the engagement of different platforms only increases. So in order to corroborate the hypothesis, research was conducted.


The research was conducted in two parts, at first, a survey was conducted where users were asked specific questions about their usage of digital platforms. Second, users were about their screen time across various platforms. The one-on-one interview was conducted with college students, young adults, and seasoned professionals in tier 1 cities in India where they were about their screen time and how, when, and what the main content was watched by them.



The Research Methodology


Figure 1. The chart mentioned above was a survey done by 127 students of the Unitedworld Institute of Design where they were asked certain questions regarding their digital platform usage and practices regarding the same. In the pie chart mentioned above, more than 90% of the users have mentioned that they have around 10 apps on their phones which need a subscription.


As time goes on and the number of paid apps increases on our phones it becomes increasingly difficult to manage and corroborate all the different subscriptions that deduct money from one’s account at different times of the year.



Figure 2. From the above survey, we figured out that more than 70% of the users have more than 20 apps on their phones and more than 40% have more than 40 apps on their phones.


It is important to understand the psychology of the user who has and either actively or passively interacts with more than 40 apps on their phone. Understandably, a user will not use all the apps on a single day or at any given time. Still, it is interesting to note the amount of time it takes to manage these apps and their digital consumption is overwhelming so it is a great idea to create apps which could manage multiple interactions at the same time.


Figure 3. From the same survey, we asked users to identify their most-preferred apps for online and digital payments. Very interestingly more than 14% of the users said they use multiple different apps for digital payments.


In an open-ended question asked during the survey where users were asked to pen down their most used apps, most users have spoken about apps like ‘Netflix’, ‘Whatsapp’, ‘Instagram’ and ‘Spotify’. These apps are subscription-based or have components which are subscriptions based.



Figure 4. From the cart above it is clear that almost all the users have apps which have a subscription that they share with their families. For eg, A Netflix subscription is one classic example of a subscription one share with their family. There are mobile network services and data schemes that help users to connect the accounts of their family under one roof for eg, the Airtel Family Plan



Figure 5. The pie chart above shows that more than 96% of the respondents said that they use a free version of apps where paid versions lies and this creates a unique opportunity for future super-apps developers.


The users who are using free versions of the app would need to use the super version of the same sooner or later either out of digital space constraints, renewed assurance of usable features or highlighted curiosity. They might also start using the paid versions of the apps through soft marketing initiatives like introducing features like cheap and on-the-spot offers etc. In doing so their cognitive load will increase and hence will be difficult to keep a track of all payments and subscriptions.



The importance of representing cultures in our digital consumption

All users use apps and websites both global ones like Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Uber or Swiggy and as well as regional apps and websites like Regional OTT platforms, regional service platforms and other services which is specific to a region. A lot of service platforms are also customized to cater to the needs of the consumer according to the consumer’s wants and conditions based on their ethnic, cultural and social upbringing. In research from Konstantakis and Caridakis, a multitude of methods for UX analysis exist, but a clear overview of the current state of the available UX research methods in CH is missing(2020).


Most service platforms are customized to cater to the needs of the consumer where they interpret their regional data and change/tweak or add/subtract services following the need of the consumer. The same level of customization can be looked at in creating a super app where the services of the app will change according to the pin code punched in by the user.



Competitor Analysis

While there are a lot of competitors in the market both in the domestic sector and in the global market the scope of the research included three main leaders in the market.


Figure 6. The logo of Fleek

Figure 7. The identity of Amazon Alexa


Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are the market leaders when it comes to voice operating systems. For both systems, you can connect smart products and control them with your voice.


Figure 8. The logo of Google Home




Understanding the User


Figure 9. The data shows the Gender distribution in terms of Instagram usage in the year 2022.


Figure 10. The data shows the Age and Gender distribution in terms of Facebook usage in the year 2022.



Understanding the confidence of the user


At various stages of the process, users go through different levels of confidence and the designer needs to access the confidence of the user to design better for them. According to new research understanding how confident users are that they completed a task is one of many ways of diagnosing interaction problems and providing a benchmark for comparisons between tasks or versions. (Measuring User Confidence in Usability Tests — MeasuringU, 2013)


The confidence of a user usually increases with affirmations and micro-interactions in a platform. Rewarding small achievements becomes important to the user as it tells them that they are doing the right thing or going on the right path. The confidence of the user becomes a strong parameter for the developers to create a system that is easily understood by the user. With an overload of apps as seen above, it is important to have clear communication for the user to use a product better.


Given the enormous opportunity, to create new value for a product or service most companies create designs that are popular in the market. This leads to a digital experience that is sub-par and does not cater to the need of the user. So it is important to understand the user to design for them. Quite often one notices that is a strong gap between what the user said they need and what the user might have. This can lead to a loss of interest quickly as users might realize their gap in the need versus requirement quickly leading to loss of business and the overall sufferance of finances and times.


The confidence quotient also changes with demographic and psychographic changes and it is important to have multiple business and in turn UX strategies when one parameter changes. At times it is important to design for people who are so to speak — overconfident. A lot of people especially our target user group are overconfident and it is important to take this into account. Overconfidence, as mentioned in Jacobs’s law comes from a history of high app usage. Most people use multiple apps and expect their apps to work in the same way as others. This does not come in conflict with the aesthetics of the site but with the mere positioning of various narrative structures and buttons that help the user in deciding the usefulness of the platform. If the user can be kept confidential throughout the journey it will be extremely beneficial for the company as that would mean an increased footfall and high engagement of the platform.


It was interesting and important to note that a person goes through several different emotions and it is important for a designer while designing a product needs to understand that a user reacts to a piece of design depending on their circumstantial moods at that time. The circumstances change with the location, situations, and present and previous activities of the user. What places the theory into practice is the key understanding of the frustration of the user and design according to the frustration of the user. The design needs to ease the circumstantial frustration of the user instead of only aiming to just address the greater need of society or the user.



The Proposal


According to new research, a super app is like a Swiss army knife — with a range of component tools (mini-apps) that the user can use and remove as needed. Super apps are trending because users, especially the younger generation born in the age of smartphones, demand mobile-first experiences that are powerful and easy to use. (What Is a Super app?, n.d.)


The need for a super app is much more than just a mobile-first experience. A super app while performing multiple tasks limits screen time considerably thereby helping users limit their digital footprints. The proposal is to create an all-in-one mobile-based application that users can use for a variety of different purposes as mentioned below. The features mentioned below should be taken as a recommendation only as of now. The features need to be accessed and segregated into a list of priority implementations depending on the user testing conducted for each concept and inducting the user feedback reports into refining the need gap created from the user’s perspective.

  1. Notification reminder. Most Android phones get more than 50 notifications per day. These notifications consume an immaculate amount of screen time. The proposed mobile application will work as a notification space where multiple notifications coming from other apps and as a short message service (SMS) will be stored and showcased when the user needs to revisit the notifications. The application will have the ability to filter out important notifications and messages to be showcased first.

  2. Subscription Management platform. The proposed mobile application will take care of multiple subscriptions ranging from OTT platforms like Netflix subscriptions to other physical service-based platforms like Swiggy which is a food delivery app where this platform will be able to manage in-app subscriptions like ‘Swiggy One’ which is a reward-based subscription plan optional for the users of Swiggy. This application will be able to intimate the users when the subscription is getting over and in turn help the user to buy another subscription. The platform will be able to manage any additional subscription that might be needed. At a time with the OTT platform movies, film reels and other such aspects can be rented by the user. This platform can be used to manage the temporary component in place.

  3. The proposed mobile application will have multiple payment facilities which the user can choose at their convenience. The platform will be able to manage and maintain previously used payment options.

  4. The proposed mobile application will work as a smart calculator which can calculate the expenditures of the user as it would have all the details of transactions placed by the user either on this platform or any other. This can give users an accurate estimate of their expenditures of the user.

  5. The app will connect with multiple delivery-based platforms like ‘Bigbasket’ and ‘Amazon’ which is a delivery-based platform. The smart platform will be able to identify any recurring expenditures and intimate the user about the same.

  6. The app will serve as a platform which has multiple alarms. In association with the normal alarm which the user can set depending on the time of the day the platform will notify the user when a new activity needs to be placed the user. For eg, if a commodity like coffee bought from an online store is on the verge of getting over the app can remind the user to get the

  7. Since the platform connects with a plethora of 3rd part apps it will be able to show interesting offers and combo plans that help customers make an informed decision. For eg. most users subscribe to multiple OTT platforms and this space will be able to find the best combinations of OTT platforms which suit their viewing purpose thereby saving recourses.

  8. Feed from CCTV camera — The platform will be able to stream live feeds from CCTV cameras that are installed in the house or office spaces. CCTV cameras are two-way interactive devices where you can watch and interact through in-built speakers,

  9. Voice assistance — The app will support its voice assistant which allows the usage of non-screen devices to be installed in the space where one can interact with the user to do multiple things in the comfort of the house. Voice assistance helps in customizing this platform to the immaculate needs of the user.

  10. Most importantly the platform is fully customized. the user can choose which aspects of the plat they want to interact with and can do the same with just these attributes. The user can choose which aspects of the services they want to interact with and will be permitted to use these only. The platform can be widely customized where the user can change the widgets, and main landing page with the details they want to interact with. the platform will follow a strong information hierarchy depending on the usage of the user. The ML(Machine Learning) of the platform will be able to follow the user in their daily journey where they interact with the system to understand their needs better.



The user


The super app will have users using these features from different socio-economic strata of society. What makes it even more interesting is that every user will use the app differently and that will create unique demands in the market. The major USP of the platform is that it is highly customizable and hence would cater to the intimate needs of the user in particular. Since the younger generation uses platforms and is generally more curious about trying new features the platform will look at earning young generations as their first batch of respondents in interacting with the product.



The Future


One of the secondary advantages of such a multicultural platform is it creates less investment in creating unnecessary triggers by the major stakeholders as these platforms are habit-forming spaces where a consumer creates internal triggers motivated by the abundance of options placed carefully in properly labelled verticles with clear notable outcomes become important.


While this research did not include the role of gender in the use of apps which one can hypothesize can cause a significant impact on the further refinement of the platform to suit the needs of the user, it is important to understand the importance of refinement and the implementation of new media technology into the betterment of the platform. It is important to understand the quotient of ‘customization’ which would depend on multiple factors under verticals of user feedback to be able to improve the platform.



Conclusions


The relevance of a super app is not only to execute many tasks, but also to the very fabric of the user’s lifestyle. The platform recognises the user’s emotions and works to correct any flaws in the user’s lifestyle. The platform’s objective is to comprehend the detailed demands of the unique user, and so a customised outcome effecting the lives of the user associated with the platform is the very need handled by the platform. To achieve the difference proposed in this research, the platform would need to address specific pain points on an account-by-account basis. It is widely accepted that the future of the digital world is in the customised domain and this platform will help in creating for the specific user understanding singular problems in differential areas rather than a vice-versa approach.


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