Survey and results

Figure 5 - Survey What type of planner (journal/calendar) do you primarily use?

I do not use a planner of any kind I use a digital app (phone/laptop) I use a pre designed journal I use a blank notebook I use a Bullet Journal I use a combination of physical and digital planners equally (if so, please also tick the relevant boxes)

In terms of keeping track of your tasks, what would you rate yourself on a scale of 1-5?

Stable 1 2 3 4 5 Scattered

Do you find a difference between memory of tasks and the planner you use?

Yes, physical planners improve my memory of tasks Yes, digital planners improve my memory of tasks No, my memory of tasks is the same whether I use a physical or digital planner No, my memory of tasks is the same whether I use a planner or not

Choose the option you most relate to: I always organise my day I sometimes organise my day I rarely organise my day I never organise my day

Choose the option you most relate to: I always organise my week I sometimes organise my week I rarely organise my week I never organise my week

Choose the option you most relate to: I always organise my month I sometimes organise my month I rarely organise my month I never organise my month

Is what you plan restricted to the format of your planner?

Yes, I only plan within the layout of my planner No, I choose not to utilise all areas of my planner No, I use additional material to organise my time where my planner is restricted I do not use a planner of any kind No, I use a plain notebook as my planner

When scheduling/planning in a journal, calendar, etc. Choose the option you most relate to: When I do schedule/plan my time I achieve more When I do schedule/plan my time I achieve less than if I had not scheduled/planned my time When I do schedule/plan my time I achieve the same as if I had not scheduled/planned my time I don't know

When do you fill in your daily tasks?

In the morning Throughout the day The night before Days in advance

What reduces your motivation to complete a task?

High stress level Lack of interest in task Lack of organisation (time management) Lack of positive reinforcement Other:

Do you find ticking off completed tasks satisfying?

Yes No Indifferent

Do you add small/pointless/pre achieved tasks to your planner for the satisfaction of ticking them off?

Yes, often Sometimes No, never

What draws you to a new notebook/planner?

The colour scheme The texture The editorial (title/illustration/pattern) The layout of the pages Other:

Which theme would you prefer from a stationery range?

Motivational / Vibrant Calming / Stress reducing Neither appeal to me

Which factors do you balance your time between?

School/University Job Home Social life Exercise Learning / Self development Mental Health

What effect does keeping a planner have on your stress level?

It reduces my stress level to have all my tasks visible in a planner It increases my stress level to have all my tasks visible in a planner Planners have no effect on my stress level

What do you use your primary planner for?

Personal tasks School/University tasks Work tasks Time scheduling Shopping lists Quick notes Budgeting Habit tracking Remembering dates Exercise logging I don't use a planner

Feedback: Were there any questions you found difficult to answer? This will help me critique my survey writing.

Figure 6 Results Figure 6a

Figure 6b

Figure 6c

Figure 6d

Figure 6e

Figure 6f

Figure 6g

Figure 6h

Figure 6i

Figure 6j

Figure 6k

Figure 6l

Figure 6m

Figure 6n

Figure 6o

Figure 6p

Figure 6q

Survey Critical Report 1,412 individuals partook in this survey. They were gathered through the social media site Twitter with a gender bias of 84% female (according to Twitter analytics).

Information from Twitter Analytics shows those asked to complete the survey were 84% female, 94% aged 18-34 and 89% living in the UK. This data was not collected by the survey, but as the statistics indicate a strong demographic it can be assumed the survey participants will be very similar. The data from this survey has high validity as the assumed demographic is exactly the target audience the stationery design concepts will be aimed at.

Most people, at 49% (Figure 6b), reported themselves as more scattered with keeping track of tasks compared to 22% who felt more stable, even though 92% (Figure 6a) reported using a planner of some kind and 72% (Figures 6d, 6e and 6f) reported planning their time regularly. This indicates that planners aren’t working, however Figure 6b is based on feeling/opinion, so this may reflect how the participants view themselves compared to what they aspire to be, instead of how scattered/stable they truly are.

Although 55% (Figure 6j) report that a high stress level reduces their motivation to complete a task, many ‘Other’ responses noted that a high stress level increases their motivation to complete a task (Figure 6k). This should have been an option to balance Figures 6j and 6k. 61% did however prefer the concept of a stress reducing stationery range which supports the data from Figure 6j.

An optional feedback section was included in the essay to gather data to help critique the effectiveness of the survey and spot possible flaws. Notably: ● There should have been more ‘Other’ options as some of the existing options weren’t relevant to some participants. None of the questions were compulsory however there is a likelihood they were answered randomly anyway, skewing the data. ● ‘Scattered’ and ‘Stable’ are subjective terms ● The wording in Figure 6c was hard to understand, however the given options were specific statements which counterbalanced the issue for some. ● Many noted that having all their tasks visible in a planner both reduces and increases their stress level but they couldn’t select both. If both was an option it may not have changed the data as the question wanted to know which they felt most often.

However out of 279 Feedback responses, 83 replied ‘No’ - not including more detailed ways of saying no. This indicates that overall the survey was understandable and the majority of people were able to answer truthfully which improves the validity of the data.