In this stage of my project, my main objective was to understand the problem faced by college students and young adults who have difficulty in manually planning their schedules. The goal was to gather insights through secondary research that would allow me to clearly frame a design challenge addressing the stress and forgetfulness often caused by manual scheduling. I wanted to explore how current scheduling methods impact users and identify opportunities where design could help reduce stress and improve productivity while also being engaging. 

To conduct my secondary research, I used a couple of tools and approaches. One key tool was Reclaim AI, which helped me analyze how automation can assist in managing schedules more effectively. Looking at how Reclaim AI optimizes calendar events and prioritizes tasks, I gained insight into the potential benefits of automated scheduling for my target users. Additionally, I used ChatGPT to help me find information related to time management, productivity, and student stress. ChatGPT was invaluable in summarizing large amounts of information and helping me see some flaws in ChatGPT automaton scheduling. 

My research process involved browsing academic sources, productivity blogs, and TikTok, where college students share their experiences with scheduling and time management. I focused on sources published within the last five years to ensure the data was relevant to current student lifestyles.  

One of the biggest challenges I faced during this stage was the amount of information available. There are countless articles and pieces of information on productivity and scheduling, which made it difficult to filter out what was most relevant to my specific design problem. To overcome this, I prioritized recent publications, research focused on college students or young adults, and those that highlighted the link between manual planning and stress. Another challenge was putting diverse findings into a clear and cohesive design challenge. The information I gathered ranged from technical scheduling tools to emotional accounts. 

Reflecting on this process, I found that conducting secondary research was essential for the design challenge in real-world evidence rather than my own assumptions and experiences. It gave me a clearer understanding of the difficulties faced by college students and young adults, such as the anxiety of juggling multiple deadlines and the risk of forgetting important tasks. This research phase also improved my ability to critically evaluate sources and gain meaningful insights. The use of AI tools like Reclaim AI and ChatGPT was particularly helpful in enhancing my efficiency and creativity. Reclaim AI provided practical examples of how automation can alleviate scheduling stress, while ChatGPT also showed me the manual limits it has while scheduling.