AI Focus Group Feedback
As members of this focus group, we have reviewed the updated source material, including the hand-drawn wireframe and the functional JavaScript prototype, alongside the context and backstories provided in Step 1.
Following the strict protocol of a thesis review council, we will now provide our objective scrutiny of your implementation.
“Act as a focus group of three distinct members of my target audience (User A, User B, and User C). I will give each user a brief one-sentence backstory. We are looking to understand how well our app prototype meets the meets of our target audience. However, you must follow these strict rules: Each simulated user must provide objective, high-level scrutiny and never give me compliments. A simulated user must always voice when think my implementation is lacking, and provide suggestions for improvement when they do so. Users must always cite their sources, with links and quotes if possible. Finally, all users must behave with the same level of fairness, objectivity, scrutiny, and support that a member of a thesis review council would have.”
Your target audience’s persona
Your problem statement
How might we focus on helping employees do energy building work every workday?
Your value proposition statement
“Our solution helps overwhelmed employees reclaim their energy and reconnect with meaningful work by reducing burnout, chaos, and exhausting manual tasks while increasing balance, clarity, and fulfillment. Unlike traditional workplace productivity systems, we believe human energy is the most important metric of success.”
A clear list of the specific features, screens, and functions you have built into your prototype.
This user is an overachiever and top performer type that is constantly being interrupted and asked to take on more work, help others they work with solve problems as issues arise, and already works many more hours daily than the standard 8 hour workday. They never ask for help, even when they need it, as this feels like failure. But they do want less interruptions, more balance and to reduce time consuming/interruptive work. They also have a lot of strategy ideas of how to innovate and add more value, but never have think time or time to finish their endless task list. They feel accomplished when helping others and when checking tasks off a to-do list. They have a hard time saying no and setting healthy boundaries.
This employee does not know what will fall on their plate each day so they do work as their manager adds request to their normal day-to-day. They want more consistency and would love to be able to prioritize each day when they come into work, but their company is chaotic without known process, so they are stuck with changing their focus and working on what their boss tells them to do (on top of their normal job responsibilities). It adds uncertainty and energy fatigue as they sometimes get stuck doing what feels meaningless and time consuming. They have a good “can do” attitude, so they sometimes feel they get stuck doing the crappy work while their team seems to not be working as hard. They at least can get their work done in a 40 hr week, but don’t feel their job fulfills them as they don’t understand if anyone even notices their work. They tend to hit deadlines, but find most days stressful with chaos or boring with tedious tasks.
This employee is at a start up that seems like it has constant changes and no standards. They are unsure who to go to for decisions, which usually makes them attend more meetings and prevents them from being as productive as they want to be. They are used to being great at their job and getting recognition at other previous companies they have worked, but since they are with a startup mode company, they feel like it’s just so much more complex and hard to do their job quickly and it’s also easy to make mistakes. They feel scared about making mistakes, since they have seen others at the company get blamed for making simple mistakes (even though the person tries hard and is doing their best). They don’t know how to get support to make their workday easier without looking like a low performer, or possibly getting replaced by AI. They are scared of this as many of their friends have been layed off due to AI at other companies.
“Based on our problem statement, how effectively does the current implementation of our prototype address the core issue? Please provide the specific, individualized feedback of User A, B, and C.”
“How well do the specific features of this prototype satisfy the needs and improve the daily life of our users? Do any of the three users disagree on its effectiveness?”
“How well does our prototype actually align with our stated value proposition formula? Have the three users briefly debate the biggest barrier to adopting this prototype based on our implementation.”
“In what specific instances or areas is this prototype lacking, and what actionable suggestions do the panel members have to improve those features?”
User A said the prototype relies on a manual saveActivity() function that requires users to input “Date,” “Time,” “Activity Details,” and a “Summary Statement” for every event. For someone already working “many more hours daily than the standard 8 hour workday,” this manual tracking is itself an interruption.
User B said the prototype allows tracking “draining” work, but it does not solve the issue of a “chaotic” company where the manager “adds request to my normal day-to-day.” The “Priorities to Free Up Energy” list is a passive display.
User C said the prototype focuses heavily on individual tracking but lacks “standards” to help them do their job “quickly.” The form-based layout could make it easy to make “simple mistakes” that lead to being “blamed.”
User A disagreed with the effectiveness of the “Energy Tracking Form” because it serves as a ledger of failure to set boundaries. This user needs a feature that integrates with a calendar to automatically block “Deep Work” time.
User B said the “Maintained” impact option is functionally sound, but the “Export to Excel” button is insufficient. The data needs to be a negotiation tool that proves they are being given “meaningless” tasks while others are not “working as hard.”
User C said the “Energy Reset Practices” are the most impactful because they address “stressful” days, but the “Save” requirement for the journal is a barrier if they are “scared of being replaced by AI.”
User A said the barrier is redundancy: “If I have to spend 15 minutes a day logging that I am ‘draining’ energy, I am losing more energy.”
User B said the barrier is authority. The value proposition promises to “reduce chaos,” but the prototype has no “Manager View.”
User C said the barrier is psychological safety. In a startup with “no standards,” any tool that measures “energy” might be used to justify “AI replacement.”
User B sees the “Send Priorities to PM System API” button as a necessary tool for visibility since they do not know if “anyone even notices my work.”
User C disagrees, viewing that same feature as a threat. If “draining” tasks are sent to a project management system, this feature acts as a surveillance tool rather than a support system.
User A finds the “Energy Reset Practices” to be a “band-aid” feature. While meditation and movement might provide “immediate relief,” they do not help set healthy boundaries or reduce the influx of work from others.
Transition from manual tracking to Passive Integration. Instead of the user calling saveActivity(), the app should sync with calendar and email metadata to automatically categorize “Admin” or “Meetings,” allowing the overachiever to focus on “strategy ideas” instead of data entry.
Enhance the “Send Priorities to PM System API.” Instead of a one-way alert, this should create a “Priority Request” in the PM system that requires a manager’s digital signature to “Acknowledge Energy Impact.”
I also plan to implement an “Energy Capacity Alert.” When a manager tries to add a task to a PM system via the API, the prototype should send a return signal showing the user’s current “Energy Trend by Day” graph.
Implement a “Privacy Toggle” for the Journaling and AI options. To mitigate the fear of being “blamed” or “replaced,” the UI must explicitly state when data is “Local/Private” versus “Exportable to Management.”
Add a “Safety Standards” Module to the Energy Reset section. Instead of just journaling, provide AI-driven “Standard Operating Procedures” for common tasks to reduce the complexity and fear of making “simple mistakes” that lead to being “blamed.”
The renderEnergyGraph() function currently uses a simple incrementer for building/maintained/draining. To align with the value proposition of treating energy as the “most important metric,” the graph should visualize “Energy ROI”—comparing the time spent against the “Impact”—to show the user exactly where their energy is being wasted most inefficiently.
While the app allows for the categorization of “Deep Work,” its heavy reliance on manual data entry via the saveActivity() function creates a new “time-consuming and interruptive” task for a user already struggling with an “endless task list,” ultimately failing to proactively secure the “think time” needed for strategic innovation.
The prototype successfully provides a vocabulary for labeling “meaningless and time-consuming” tasks through the “Draining” impact metric, but it remains a passive tool that lacks the managerial authority required to stop a chaotic boss from overriding the user’s “Priorities to Free Up Energy.”
The complexity of the tracking form and the presence of AI-driven journaling features may inadvertently heighten the user’s fear of making “simple mistakes” or being “replaced by AI,” as the prototype does not yet include the clear “standards” or psychological safety nets necessary to support an employee in a high-pressure startup environment.
Based on the AI focus group feedback, the Energy Engineering prototype needs to move beyond documenting energy loss. The next version should reduce manual tracking, create manager visibility, protect psychological safety, provide clearer standards, and make energy data more actionable through Energy ROI.
Tester Alias: User Tester 1
Task: Navigate through the app to verify what would be useful to you in order to free up your energy at work.
It wasn’t immediately obvious to the user they could explore without being required to do anything. It was not clear what would happen in both pathways off screen 1.
For energy tracking pathway, the user did not understand how prioritizing their energy draining work would help them.
They also were not understanding how the energy reset pathway would be able to help them now, in real-time.
Add more explanation of the value each pathway can offer with testimonials, and offer a tutorial on screen 1, to show them the full process for each pathway.
Enhance the prototype for first time use to allow the user to enter AI Category for Screen 2 of Energy Tracking input. Help the user understand what each AI Category is once AI adds it.
Enhance the prototype to add a refocus wishlist to screen 3 of the energy tracker, that helps the user refocus energy on new meaningful work, once their priorities to free up energy are each completed. Basically for every time freed up in priorities to free up energy, the user can apply that freed up energy to something new. Then the app can track metrics to show management ROI on freeing up energy.
Add a video to screen 3 to show the user the process: awareness of energy flow > selecting which activities they need to reduce time/automate > send it to PM system or export to excel for Continuous Improvement team to reduce/automate > once that is automated or reduced in time to manage, then final step is repurposing the freed up time to focus on new things and track for results to present to management.
Also, consider working with HR to create incentive programs to increase pay for employees that bring results to life.
Create sample content for Energy Reset pathway, to get feedback of which is most effective and why.
Keep a running journal of interactions with exact wording the user submits to questions and let user save AI conversations to journal as they want with a date stamp.
After reviewing both the AI Focus Group feedback and User Testing feedback, several common themes emerged. Multiple users expressed confusion about the purpose and value of the two pathways on the home screen. Several users also struggled to understand how the Energy Tracking pathway would help them free up energy and what would happen after prioritizing energy-draining activities. Another recurring theme was the need for stronger explanations, guidance, privacy protections, and automation throughout the experience.
Pattern Observed:
Multiple users were confused about what would happen when selecting either the Energy Tracking pathway or the Energy Reset pathway. Users were not immediately clear on the value each pathway provided.
Update Planned:
Add more explanation of the value each pathway can offer with testimonials and provide a tutorial on Screen 1 that demonstrates the complete process for both pathways.
Why:
This feedback directly impacts first impressions and user adoption. If users do not understand the purpose of the pathways, they may leave the app before discovering its value.
Pattern Observed:
Users did not understand how prioritizing energy-draining work would help them. The AI Focus Group also noted that the current implementation documents energy loss but does not clearly demonstrate how energy will be reclaimed.
Update Planned:
Add a video to Screen 3 that explains the complete workflow: Awareness of energy flow → identifying activities to reduce or automate → sending opportunities to a PM System or Continuous Improvement team → reducing effort through automation → repurposing freed-up time toward meaningful work → tracking results and ROI.
Why:
Users need to understand how the system converts awareness into action and ultimately helps them reclaim energy and focus on more meaningful work.
Pattern Observed:
Both AI reviewers and users identified confusion regarding AI Categories and the purpose behind categorizing activities.
Update Planned:
Enhance Screen 2 of the Energy Tracking pathway to better explain AI Categories and provide guidance for first-time users. Add descriptions that explain what each category means and why it matters.
Why:
Reducing uncertainty during data entry will improve usability and increase confidence when tracking activities.
Pattern Observed:
Users understood how to identify draining activities but wanted a clearer connection between eliminating low-value work and focusing on more meaningful work.
Update Planned:
Add a Refocus Wishlist to Screen 3. Once priorities are reduced, delegated, or automated, users can allocate their reclaimed time toward new meaningful activities and track the results.
Why:
This creates a direct connection between freeing up energy and investing that energy into higher-value work that benefits both employees and the organization.
Pattern Observed:
Users were unsure how the Energy Reset pathway would help them in real-time.
Update Planned:
Create sample Energy Reset content and gather additional feedback regarding which practices are most effective and why.
Why:
More realistic examples will help users better understand the immediate value of the Energy Reset experience.
Pattern Observed:
AI Focus Group participants raised concerns about privacy, psychological safety, and the ability to trust AI-driven features.
Update Planned:
Allow users to save AI conversations to a running journal with date stamps, provide privacy controls, and clearly identify what information remains private versus what information may be shared externally.
Why:
Trust is critical for users to engage honestly with AI-supported reflection and coaching features.
The most critical feedback centered on user understanding and clarity. Multiple users were confused about what each pathway did, how the Energy Tracking process created value, and how the application ultimately helps users reclaim energy. Because these issues directly impact adoption and perceived usefulness, improving onboarding, explanations, tutorials, and workflow visualization will be the highest priority for the next iteration.
Based on the feedback from the AI Focus Group and user testing session, I prioritized the changes that addressed the biggest user pain points: confusion about the two pathways, lack of clarity around how Energy Tracking creates value, and uncertainty about how Energy Reset can help users in real time.
What I changed: I added more explanation of the value each pathway can offer and planned to include testimonials and a tutorial on Screen 1.
Why I changed it: The user did not immediately understand that they could explore without being required to do anything. It was also not clear what would happen in both pathways off Screen 1.
What I changed: I planned to enhance Screen 2 of Energy Tracking so the user can better understand what each AI Category means once AI adds it.
Why I changed it: The feedback showed that users may feel confused while entering information throughout the workday. Adding more guidance will make the form easier to understand and reduce friction.
What I changed: I planned to add a video to Screen 3 showing the process: awareness of energy flow > selecting which activities to reduce time/automate > sending it to a PM system or exporting to Excel for a Continuous Improvement team > repurposing freed-up time toward new meaningful work > tracking results to present to management.
Why I changed it: The user did not understand how prioritizing energy-draining work would help them. The video will make the full value of the Energy Tracking pathway more visible.
What I changed: I planned to add a Refocus Wishlist to Screen 3 of the Energy Tracker. Once priorities to free up energy are completed, the user can apply that freed-up energy to something new.
Why I changed it: This connects the goal of freeing up energy to the next step: refocusing that energy on meaningful work and tracking metrics to show management ROI.
What I changed: I planned to create sample content for the Energy Reset pathway, such as meditation audio, grounding practices, movement, visual/sound immersion, and journaling examples.
Why I changed it: The user did not understand how the Energy Reset pathway would help them now, in real time. Sample content will make the pathway easier to evaluate and improve.
What I changed: I planned to keep a running journal of interactions with the exact wording the user submits to questions and allow the user to save AI conversations to the journal with a date stamp.
Why I changed it: This supports reflection, preserves user input, and helps the user track patterns over time while giving them control over what they save.
What I changed: I planned to consider working with HR to create incentive programs to increase pay for employees who bring results to life.
Why I changed it: This connects the app’s energy-saving and process-improvement goals to organizational value, employee motivation, and measurable business impact.