During the Covid-19 pandemic, this team worked on improving the experience of working from home. Their work yielded two insights that spawned two different ideas. This first was Relay Roulette, a social running platform that encourages a safe and active way for individuals to ‘go the distance’ with friends and family during the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was drawn from the observation that the lack of environmental changes and the absence of social cues when staying at home made it difficult to know when to transition in and out of the work day and develop a clear routine. Ultimately leaving individuals glued to their screens, longing for novel social interactions, and looking for safe excuses to get outside.  Relay Roulette (RR) presents a distinct transitional moment into and out of the workday. It encourages individuals to step away from their screens by offering a safe opportunity to get outside and share a physical experience with almost anyone. RR promotes non-competitive collaborative engagement by focusing on its social features. It allows individuals near and far to safely run together while apart by facilitating a relay experience where each runner contributes to a shared distance goal. In addition, rather than highlighting individual run stats, RR encourages users to share wacky selfies, beautiful views and team achievements. 

The second idea was also designed to help establish routines and structure. “Day Break” is designed for individuals who are eager to create meaningful goals during the pandemic but have difficulties following through. “Day Break” does this by encouraging individuals to achieve their daily goals in a collaborative way. It schedules activities outside people’s work such as yoga, walking, running, or relaxing in the sun during several points in the day to give individuals something to look forward to. These activities can be synchronized with a group of friends or family to create a communal work break. The change in space heartens them to more fully transition out of their work day, to keep track of time, and to maintain a healthy routine.