SHROUD

App Store Thumbnail
Welcome Message
Blocking Surroundings
Taking Notes in MR
Setting a Timer
Setting a Timer (Different Room)

Inspiration

For a person with ADHD, staying on task proves can be difficult, especially if the environment around them presents challenges, ranging from loud noises, conversations, visual distractions from the outside world, and stray thoughts can affect focus and derail any momentum previously achieved.

What it does

The app, is designed to implement a layer of protection against the distractions of the outside world. Inspired by the Pomodoro methodology, Shroud guides users by presenting them with tools, and offloading the management of said tools.

The first tool available, allows the user to setup a Pomodoro "Sprint". The user express an intention, this intention is recorded, and keep in the periphery, to remind the user of their main objective. Then, it obscures the environment around them, to prevent outside distractions from reaching the user.

If an intrusive thought pops up while working on the desired task, the user has a "Landing Zone" tool to take notes. The user can then, express the thought verbally, or in written form, allowing them to offload the thought and address them at a later stage.

How we built it

Using Unity's Realtime engine, and Meta's presence platform SDK, we were able to leverage a number of built in tools to improve productivity. Passthrough and scene understanding are used to keep the user present in their surroundings. We added a calming shader to the walls and furniture to help block out the real world, but not completely so that the user is aware. Also with scene understanding we are able to correctly position the workspace on the closest table to the user. We also used Voice SDK to allow the user to take notes quickly. Using a virtual keyboard or a sketchpad is a great option in certain situations, but spoken notes quickly get you back on task.

Challenges we ran into

Time
Pivoting
Limits in access to API's

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Managing to put something together despite the challenges
Effective team communication and support
Branching outside our zones of comfort

What we learned

MR is capable of incredible things for utility. The Meta Quest 3 is a significant upgrade from the Quest 2, allowing us to blend reality and VR seamlessly in a variety of ways. Building blocks are a great start for any developer looking to make content.

What's next for Shroud

Expand it beyond it's capabilities. There's many tools that a person with ADHD can use to manage their attention, and information, access and education can go a long way towards supporting neurodiverse individuals with challenges in executive function. Future objectives include completing a companion app to fulfill the pomodoro cycle, access to thoughts created in the app, modularity to accommodate different levels of executive disfunction as well as support for less work oriented tasks.