Challenge B – Procrastination: What, why and how?

Updated: October 23rd, 2025

Authors: Emma Lee, Yiran Han, Justin Scott

Our group consists of Emma Lee, Yiran Han, and Justin Scott. For this project we have decided to make our Video presentation on procrastination. More specifically, we will be examining 3 aspects: What is procrastination? Why do we procrastinate? and 5 tips to stop procrastinating. We decided on this topic due to the fact it is a challenge that nearly everyone faces at some point in their life. By turning this topic into a multimedia learning project, we aim to make strategies for managing procrastination more accessible, engaging and relatable for the viewer.

Our goal of this project is to help learners better understand all the factors due to procrastination and to share ways and solutions to work around it. Whether it is someone who actively knows they struggle with procrastination, or it someone who does not know what procrastination is. We want viewers to walk away feeling like they have learned something new about the topic. So far we have worked well together with quick response times and organized planning sheets.

Our Final Video：

What is procrastination? (made by Yiran)

Why do we procrastinate?(made by Justin)

5 tips to stop procrastinating(made by Emma)

THE PROCESS

Understand (Discover, Interpret, Specify)

DESCRIBE THE CHALLENGE:

Individuals of all ages need to learn strategies to overcome procrastination in order to manage their time better and accomplish personal or academic goals.

CONTEXT AND AUDIENCE:

Our target audience includes individuals of all ages, however, procrastination likely impacts older students and adults more than children. In the case of older students, procrastination most likely occurs within middle school aged students to post-secondary students. The needs and goals of these students are to manage their time in order to balance their school life, social life, and potential work life at the same time. For high school and post-secondary students it is especially important to learn how to manage procrastination as their workloads are a lot bigger. They may also be juggling chores and responsibilities at home, applications for more school and/or day-to-day activities and hobbies. With the freedom of being a teen/younger adult comes the responsibility to complete necessary tasks on time which leaves lots of room for procrastination, especially with tasks that aren’t appealing as parents/guardians and teachers are leaving it up to students to motivate themselves. 

Younger children are likely to experience procrastination to a lesser extent as they often have parents, guardians and teachers to encourage and motivate them to complete their necessary tasks such as school work or extracurricular activities. Though there may be times where they do not particularly want to complete an assignment, the adults in their life likely make it harder for them to procrastinate. 

In terms of adults, their needs and goals are fairly similar to university students. They also need to balance their work life, social life and potentially the lives of children as well, along with responsibilities at home. Goals for them may involve career advancement, financial stability, and becoming a home owner, and/or starting a family. Procrastination as an adult can be common as, similar to high school and post-secondary students, the individual needs to find the motivation to complete tasks without somebody encouraging or pushing them to do so. 

As mentioned earlier, procrastination impacts the majority of age groups and these tips to prevent it are easy tasks and strategies that anyone struggling with procrastination can implement into their day-to-day life. 

POV STATEMENT: 

A student who struggles with procrastination needs to learn how to manage cognitive load and motivation so that they can maintain focus, reduce anxiety, and achieve their learning goals efficiently.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

This program aims to help learners identify the causes of procrastination and apply practical strategies to manage their time and motivation more effectively. By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to:

1. Identify different types and common causes of procrastination through reflection and examples.
   
2. Apply time-management and self-motivation strategies (e.g., breaking tasks into smaller steps, setting realistic goals, rewarding progress).
   
3. Reflect on their own procrastination patterns to recognize the controllable and shared nature of the challenge.
   
4. Develop resilience and self-regulation skills that can transfer to other areas of learning and personal growth.

Plan (Ideate, Sketch, Elaborate)

IDEATION: 

Brainstorming process: We wanted our videos to all connect with each other and have a main topic that is related to psychology. Our first three ideas included procrastination, how stress impacts our learning and memory, and the connection between dreams and real-life experiences. We ended up choosing procrastination as it was the topic we, as a group, found the most interesting. We then broke the topic down further into the three separate parts we thought would make the most sense. This ended up with the first video explaining what procrastination is, the second describing the reasons behind it and the third ending on a more positive note with how to stop procrastinating in order to become more productive and efficient in day-to-day life. 

Our most promising prototype involves using the explainer video format in order to describe what procrastination is, why we do it, and give tips on how to stop procrastinating. 

STORYBOARD OR SCRIPT:

Video 1: What is procrastination? (Yiran)

• Definition
• Relatability
• Consequence
• Reflection
• Anticipation

• Slide 1: 

Slide title: WHY WE DELAY? / WHAT MATTERS?

Visual Description: Background in muted beige tones. Title text “WHY WE DELAY?” appears in bold black, followed by “WHAT MATTERS?” in soft brown below a dividing line. Minimal geometric shapes add motion and visual rhythm.

Voice-over Script: “Welcome! Today we’ll explore why we procrastinate—what it is, why we do it, and why it matters.”

Timing: 9 seconds

Design Notes/Multimedia Principles: 

• Coherence Principle: Minimal text and muted palette focus attention on key ideas.

• Signaling Principle: The color contrast between the two titles highlights the shift from behavior (“delay”) to importance (“matters”).

• Temporal Contiguity: Voice-over appears simultaneously with title reveal to strengthen connection.

• Slide 2:

Slide title: THE COST OF DELAY

Visual Description: Beige background with strong black title “THE COST OF DELAY.” A typing animation reveals the full sentence “When we put things off, the cost adds up…” gradually, reflecting the slow buildup of procrastination’s impact. Beside the text, a male character sits and looks tense—his posture and worried expression visually represent the stress and frustration caused by delay. A bright red geometric accent on the upper right maintains visual balance and reinforces a sense of urgency.

Voice-over Script: “When we put things off, the cost adds up. Deadlines pile up, stress grows, and confidence slowly fades — often before we even realize it.”

Timing: 12 seconds

Design Notes/Multimedia Principles:

• Signaling Principle: The typing animation emphasizes key cause-and-effect phrases (“cost adds up,” “stress grows,” “confidence fades”) in sync with the narration, guiding attention to the message progression.

• Coherence Principle: A simple beige background avoids unnecessary detail, allowing focus on the emotional and cognitive cost of procrastination.

• Spatial Contiguity: Text and character appear close together, helping viewers connect the narration with the emotional visuals.

• Affective Design: The character’s anxious gesture and the red accent color heighten emotional resonance, symbolizing tension, pressure, and urgency tied to procrastination.

• Slide 3:

Slide title: WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION?

Visual Description: Background in warm brown tones. The title “WHAT IS PROCRASTINATION?” appears in bold black. As the narration continues, the three key ideas — Delay, Awareness, and Conflict — appear one by one, aligned vertically on the left. When Conflict appears, a male character in an “angry/frustrated” pose enters beside the text, visually representing inner struggle and emotional conflict.A tilted red and beige geometric shape in the upper right adds contrast and movement. 

Voice-over Script: “Procrastination is the act of delaying tasks, even when we know they matter. It’s not just about being lazy-it’s when our emotions override our intentions, and we end up pushing important things to later.”

Timing: 12 seconds

Design Notes/Multimedia Principles: 

• Segmenting Principle: Sequential appearance of the three keywords (Delay–Awareness–Conflict) guides viewers through the cognitive steps of procrastination.

• Signaling Principle: Each keyword is bold and appears in sync with the narration, signaling a shift from thought to emotion.

• Spatial Contiguity Principle: The text and character appear together in the same visual field, reinforcing the link between language and emotion.

• Affective Design: The “angry” character pose embodies frustration and self-conflict, helping viewers emotionally connect with the concept.

• Coherence Principle: Warm monochrome tones create a professional yet approachable atmosphere.

• Slide 4:

Slide title: Everyday Procrastination

Visual Description: Background turns to a muted green tone. On screen, a male office worker sits casually, holding a smartphone, appearing focused on texting. Subtle animation shows him typing, pausing, and scrolling—his work remains untouched. The top-right geometric motif (red square and beige circle with a diagonal line) provides design continuity from Slide 3.

Voice-over Script: “We all do it — telling ourselves, ‘I’ll start after this quick call.’ Then, a few messages later, we’re still scrolling, convincing ourselves it’s just a short break.”

Timing: 11 seconds

Design Notes/ Multimedia Principles:

• Personalization Principle: Conversational tone (“We all do it”) helps audience relate emotionally.

• Coherence Principle: Minimal motion and text keep attention on the example.

• Temporal Contiguity: Voice and on-screen animation occur simultaneously to reinforce recognition.

• Signaling: The highlighted phone activity cues viewers to the central behavior — distractions.

• Slide 5:

Slide title: WHEN STRESS BUILDS UP

Visual Description: The same male office worker reappears, now standing with slumped shoulders and a visibly tired expression. Background shifts back to a warm brown tone for continuity with Slide 3. A large beige semicircle and red-black diagonal line appear at the top-right corner, symbolizing imbalance. Subtle animation shows the worker sighing, rubbing his temples, or looking down, conveying emotional fatigue.

Voice-over Script: “We put things off to stay comfortable for a moment. But the stress we escape now always finds its way back — stronger, louder, and harder to face.”

Timing: 10 seconds

Design Notes/Multimedia Principles:

• Emotional engagement: Slow pacing and expressive posture elicit empathy.

• Coherence principle: Minimal elements keep focus on emotional messages.

• Temporal contiguity: Text appears in sync with narration to reinforce comprehension.

• Signaling: Gradual darkening and bold text cue the viewer toward the rising tension of stress buildup.

• Slide 6:

Slide title: NEXT: THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND PROCRASTINATION

Visual Description: The same male office worker sits leaning back in thought, hand on chin, eyes looking upward as if reflecting. Background shifts to a neutral beige tone, signaling a transition to a new section or topic. No voice-over this time—just music fading in softly, creating anticipation for the next module.

Voice-over Script: None, music only.

Timing: 4 seconds

Design Notes/Multimedia Principles: 

• Segmenting Principle: Clearly separates this section from the previous emotional segment.

• Signaling: The word “NEXT” visually guides the viewer toward continuation.

• Coherence: No narration or excess movement keeps focus on transition.

• Aesthetic Consistency: Maintains the same geometric motif and color palette for cohesion.

Video 2: Why do we procrastinate? (Justin)

• Background / Science of why?
• Fear of messing up / not being perfect
• Dopamine
• Overwhelming
• Breaking the Cycle

Script:

Slide 1: We have all been there – staring at a blank screen, telling ourselves we will start in five minutes. But why do we keep putting them off even if we want to get it done?

Slide 2: Procrastination is not about being lazy, it is a battle in your brain. The amygdala is responsible for telling you to “Avoid this task, it is stressful”, while the preform cortex says “do it now, it is important” When the amygdala wins we tend to delay our tasks.

Slide 3: The 3 main reasons we procrastinate are: Fear, a Dopamine response, and being caught in a cycle.

Slide 4: The main reason we all procrastinate is fear. Sometimes we avoid tasks because we are scared of messing up, triggering a stress response in our brain, making us feel inclined to avoid that task.

Slide 5: Meanwhile, our brain still craves quick rewards. Watching videos, playing games, and checking our phones all release dopamine making us feel better than if we were doing our work.

Slide 6: We all find ourselves in this cycle at some point, it is just about starting with small actions. Not perfection, but just progress is what it is all about. Put away things that may make you distracted.

Slide 7: Always try to make action happen even if they are small. Next are 5 tips on how not to procrastinate!

Video 3: 5 tips to stop procrastinating

• Tip #1: Break large tasks into smaller chunks
• Tip #2: Create a to-do list
• Tip #3: Use the Pomodoro Technique 
• Tip #4: Set realistic goals
• Tip #5: Practice positive self-talk 

Script: 

We all procrastinate sometimes. Here are 5 tips to help you get things done.

Tip #1: Break large tasks into smaller chunks. This makes the workload seem less daunting, more manageable, and helps you get started faster. 

Tip #2: Create a to-do list. Write down your tasks, put the most important task at the top, and check-off items as you complete them to stay organized and motivated.

Tip #3: Try the Pomodoro Technique. Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on one task then take a 5 minute break. Repeat this cycle. This helps maintain focus and prevents burnout. 

Tip #4: Set realistic goals. Make sure your goals are specific and achievable so you can stay on track and build confidence as you make progress. 

Tip #5: Practice positive self-talk. Instead of thinking “I’ll never finish this”, try saying, “I can do this one step at a time.”

Start using these tips in your daily routine to increase productivity, reduce stress and make more time to do activities you enjoy! 

PRINCIPLES APPLIED: 

When designing our explainer videos, we will try and apply several of Mayer’s Multimedia Learning Principles in order to make our message about procrastination both clear and memorable.

The Coherence Principle will be used by us removing visuals that might distract the learners from the key idea of the videos being: What is procrastination? Why do we procrastinate? and 5 tips to stop procrastinating. We will use the Signaling Principle to highlight important information within the video. The Modality Principle will also be used by using narrated audio instead of making the viewer read the prompts on the screen; they will have visuals to pair with the audio, helping them be able to process the information more effectively.

The Segmenting Principle was especially important for this topic; we decided to break the topic into 3 separate parts to make it easier to digest: What is procrastination? Why do we procrastinate? and 5 tips to stop procrastinating. This will also allow the learner to pause and reflect between the videos to make sure they understand fully. Lastly, the Redundancy Principle ensures text and narration do not repeat the same information more than once unnecessarily.

When applying these principals, we will aim to create a resource that not only teaches the viewer strategies but also follows effective, learner-centered multimedia design.

Create and Share the Prototype:

What is procrastination? (Yiran)

• Definition
• Relatability
• Consequence
• Reflection
• Anticipation

Why do we procrastinate? (Justin)

• Background / Science of why?
• Fear of messing up / not being perfect
• Dopamine
• Overwhelming
• Breaking the Cycle

5 tips to stop procrastinating (Emma)

• Tip #1: Break large tasks into smaller chunks
• Tip #2: Create a to-do list
• Tip #3: Use the Pomodoro Technique 
• Tip #4: Set realistic goals
• Tip #5: Practice positive self-talk 

PEER FEEDBACK:

Yiran’s Feedback: The feedback indicated that the video was effective in explaining procrastination in a clear and engaging way, with strong use of multimedia principles such as coherence and signaling. Reviewers noted that the structure and learning objectives were clear and well-organized. However, it was also suggested that the storyboard and script could be expanded with more detailed explanations and examples to enhance depth and clarity. Additional comments recommended including short visual summaries or real-life scenarios to make the content more relatable, and possibly adding an action-oriented conclusion—such as a challenge or reflective question—to sustain viewer engagement. Overall, the feedback recognized the project as practical and relatable, while encouraging further elaboration and emotional engagement to strengthen learning impact.

Emma’s Feedback: Some feedback that I received was to apply the personalization principle in a more deliberate manner by using a more conversational tone in order to address the audience/learners directly. Another suggestion was to represent emotional triggers or thought patterns visually in order to directly apply the dual-channel principle. An example of this was to use animations or icons to represent things such as distractions or anxiety. The feedback also included a suggestion of ending the video with a question as this could help the audience engage in the content more and self-reflect, hopefully leading to a change in behaviour.  

Justin’s Feedback: The feedback I received on my video prototype was generally positive, pointing out that procrastination is a highly relevant topic for most people especially in university. My peers quickly pointed out how they believed the three part structure would be great for our topic of procrastination. They also appreciated the idea of trying not to use too much on screen text and narration instead, to be a good idea. One suggestion that was made that stuck out to me was “This might include the addition of a visual storyboard or script that explains your topic “Why do we procrastinate?””. One limitation that was addressed was “how you’ll be able to tell if your audience successfully understood the content? Maybe a quick reflection question at the end of each video.”

Reflect and Refine

TEAM REFLECTION:

The program PowToon worked very well for all of us, although there was a bit of a learning curve at the start. Our topic of procrastination was also very easy to break into 3 short-form videos which helped us structure our content clearly. Collaboration with the group went fairly smoothly and we were able to divide tasks effectively and efficiently. 

We used the feedback to apply the personalization principle (Granchelli, 2025) more directly in the 5 tips to stop procrastinating video to make it more relatable to our audience. In addition to this, we also made several small revisions based on the peer feedback. Both reviewers suggested improving the visual structure and adding more concrete examples, so we reorganized some of the text placement and included a short everyday scenario to show what procrastination looks like in real life. This helped the pacing feel smoother and made the message easier to connect with.

A strength of using this type of multimedia for learning is that it is a short-from engaging video that does not require a long attention span and it is a similar format to the type of content many individuals in our target audience watch for enjoyment. Another strength of using this form of multimedia was the 3 part structure of our videos. Breaking the topic down into different stages allows the reader to learn about the “what” and “why” of procrastination before learning tips on ways to avoid it. Short-from videos are also more easily accessible to a variety of different learning styles as they include audio, visuals and text. This type of multimedia learning can be easily shared, making it helpful for educational settings as it encourages discussion. Since they are only a minute long, the content had to be clear and concise.

A limitation is that there is only so much content you can have in a one minute video and you have to be careful to not overload the audience with information. Due to the short time frame, you may not be able to go into many details of the content, so this type of multimedia format may be best when the topic is simple or the audience already knows the basics of it. Another limitation is how we know if the viewer successfully understood the content at the end of the video. It was suggested that we maybe were to add a question at the end of each video but we believed we did not have enough time to portray everything we want while also having questions all in 1 minute each.

Finally, through this project, we learned how Mayer’s Coherence and Signaling Principles (Clark & Mayer, 2016) can make a big difference in learning design. Reducing unnecessary text and highlighting only key words kept the video clear and engaging without overwhelming viewers. Overall, the revision process helped us see how small design choices can strongly affect understanding and attention in short-form educational videos.

INDIVIDUAL REFLECTIONS:

Yiran: My main contributions included developing the POV statement and the learning objectives to align our topic with the course goals. I also led the early discussion that helped our team decide on procrastination as our theme and created the video explaining what procrastination is. During video production, I focused on applying Mayer’s principles such as coherence and signaling to make the content clear and engaging. Emma worked on the “5 Tips to Stop Procrastinating” video and the ideation section, while Justin completed the “Why We Procrastinate” video and principles applied section. Both did a great job with their tasks, and our collaboration went smoothly overall. Both Emma and Justin showed strong teamwork and creativity. I especially appreciated Emma’s clear visual storytelling and Justin’s analytical insights, which complemented my work on objectives and content framing.

Emma: My contributions include completing the describe the challenge, context and audience and ideation sections, along with the 5 Tips to Stop Procrastinating video. I also added to the peer feedback section and the team reflection. I submitted the prototype and was the one initiating communication between our group. Yiran completed the POV statement, learning objectives, did the video on what procrastination is and added to the peer feedback and team reflection sections as well. Justin completed the project intro, the principles applied section, did the video on why we procrastinate and also added to the peer feedback and team reflection sections. Yiran and Justin both did really well completing their assigned sections, but they could both maybe take more initiative in the group aspects of the project.

Justin: My contribution to the group was completing the “Why we procrastinate” Video, project intro, the principles applied section, and peer feedback section and team reflection. Yiran was the one who did the video on what procrastination is, learning objectives, POV statement, while adding to the peer feedback, and team reflection. Emma was the one who made the video on “5 tips to stop procrastinating”, context, audience, and ideation sections. Also adding to the peer feedback, and team reflection. Overall I really enjoyed working with them both, I have had some family matters to deal with while working though the project and both have been very helpful and understanding throughout.

References:

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). Wiley.

Granchelli, Adrian. (2025). Theories of multimedia learning EDCI 337. Educational technology Uvic. https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2025/09/05/theories-of-multimedia-learning/