ThinkBlink

ThinkBlink Icon
[Prototype] Start of 20 minute timer
[Prototype] Start of 20 second eye break!

Inspiration

What inspired us to create ThinkBlink was how COVID-19 impacted the work and school environment. Previously, people used to commute to the office, work their shift, and return back home to relax. Students went to class everyday with assignments done with paper and pencil. But today, many companies have switched to working remotely and schools have transitioned to providing education online. This has caused increased screen time on computers. Eye doctors remind us to follow the 20-20-20 rule, where every 20 minutes of screen time, we should look at an object that is 20 feet away for 20 seconds. However, with online classes, meetings, assignments, and projects, we tend to lose track of how much time our eyes are on the screen.

What it does

On Google Chrome, once the user starts the extension, they can input the number of minutes they want to work on a task before giving their eyes a break. Once that time is up, a meme will pop up, prompting the user to look outside for an object that is 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Once those 20 seconds have passed, ThinkBlink will make a sound to let the user know that they can return back to their screen.

How we built it

We split into two groups, where one would design the prototype, and create the pitch, while the other group would program the Chrome extension. We created the prototype through Figma and collaborated on GitHub to begin the Chrome extension. We used HTML/CSS to code the Chrome extension.

Challenges we ran into

We were all unfamiliar to coding in HTML and CSS, so we had to learn the basic syntax quickly to create the extension. Some of us were also new to Figma, so we had to learn in how to use it to design the prototype. There were some time conflicts too initially, due to two of us having to commute to campus to collaborate in person. Overall, with a small time-constraint, it was difficult to settle on an idea we were passionate about but also feasible in the allotted time.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of how we were able to start a Chrome extension and create a prototype in less than 24 hours. We are proud of how even though we all met on discord at the beginning of DubHacks, we all collaborated well and learned quickly to adapt to programs that were unfamiliar to us. Additionally, we are proud of the ideation of our extension and how it can be implemented in real life.

What we learned

From this project, some of us were able to learn the basic usage of Figma and GitHub. We were also able to understand how Chrome extensions work, as this was our first time doing so. We also learned how to work together as a team in a short span of time. Lastly, I believe we all got to learn how to think about a problem or track to come up with a feasible solution. Mapping out our time and executing accordingly is an amazing skill to have that we can all use in our futures.

What's next for ThinkBlink

We will continue to code the Chrome extension, and add more features like merging updates from calendars to send reminders of future meetings and events and including screen time tracking to restrict certain websites that could be distracting like Netflix. We will also add work hour shifts to prevent work-from-home individuals from working over time in the future.