Do you ever catch yourself mindlessly on your phone, consciously closing social media apps, only to find yourself miraculously scrolling through them moments later? Would you say you use your phone too much throughout the day? Would you like to gain control over this behaviour, but you don't know how? If you answered yes to any of these questions, let me introduce you to Sid's Test.
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Sid's Test is an application designed to rehabilitate those who suffer from phone addiction. The test's unique psychological approach helps its users build resiliency against the constant temptation from their phone by training them to be aware of the physical (touch) interaction with their phone. With time those taking Sid's Test will learn to prioritize their actions, act in moderation, and feel in control of their behaviour.
Sid, the squid, lives in the vast open ocean of your mobile phone. He challenges you, a young lost orca, to find your way back to its family.
The average smartphone user checks their device 47 times a day.
The average time spent on smartphones is 2hrs 51mins
47% of smartphone users have attempted to limit their usage in the past.
The average user will tap, swipe, click their phone 2,617 times a day
There are many apps on the market that help you limit your smartphone use. Most function by blocking specific apps on your phone, and some put time limits on your smartphone use. Though these apps may reduce your smartphone use, their effectiveness is short-lived because their users aren't allowed to test their resiliency against temptations. Instead, those using these apps are placed in a "smartphone timeout," suppressing them from the addictive apps on their phone, and soon as they are released, they are swimming back to their temptations.
What makes Sid's Test stand out from other apps designed to limit smartphone use is the freedom that it provides to its users, giving them the autonomy to engage with their smartphones as they see fit. The only restriction applied to those taking Sid's Test is the number of commands (taps, clicks, swipes) that may use in a given day. The commands can be imagined as a currency and spent on the users' terms. The intention here is to make these users aware of the physical act of interacting with their phone. Those taking the test will transition from performing mindless interactions on their smartphones to executing well thought out decisions. With a low command count, maybe checking that important work email would be a better idea than browsing social media.
