Chapter I

Introduction

Because of the existing pandemic, a lot of employees and students have

been working and attending classes from home since different countries have

implemented home quarantine in March 2020 and is still ongoing today. This

long-term transformation in work culture had a negative effect on some. Almost

59% respondents on a global survey responded that working and studying from

home made them feel lost, trapped, and discouraged in doing productive tasks

(Gautam 2020). This situation can be correlated to neuroscientific studies, as

loss of motivation can be improved by stimulation of dopaminergic pathways. 

In a recent study that involved the treatment for people with ADHD,

researchers found that a drug like Ritalin may work as a study aid by shifting

attention from the challenges of undertaking a difficult mental task to its positive

outcomes or rewards. This implies that the medications do not work by boosting

an individual’s cognitive ability, but it influences motivation by stimulating the

brain neurotransmitter dopamine (Bryant 2020).

Not only can it influence motivation, but it also has an impact in mental

health. Experiencing loss of motivation is considered as psychosocial stress,

which means it is very vulnerable to mental illnesses like anxiety and depression.

Keeping an individual motivated can reduce their chances of experiencing

dopaminergic dysfunction and avoid a lot of its negative effects (Bloomfield et al.

2019). 

A. Background of the Study

One of the most important factors that can affect any workplace is human

productivity. If looked upon in a business aspect, growth in productivity can help

the economy to have the ability to produce and consume increasingly more

products, goods, and services for the same amount of work. This translates into

good customer service, a healthy workplace environment, and a successful

business.

As observed in the work scene, the Philippines continues to become an

international exporter of human resources and agricultural products over the

years. A lot of Filipino employees are characterized as highly skilled and

educated. Despite these achievements, the country is still lacking in some areas.

It has failed to capture the national benefits of high-quality education such as

productivity growth, poverty reduction, and social development—an outcome with

significant implications for the development of its human resources (Paprock et

al. 2010).

This existing problem and scenario have become more challenging to

resolve as more present-day hindrances adjoined. The coronavirus disease,

commonly known as COVID-19, is an infectious respiratory illness that caused a

global pandemic starting in late 2019. Data showed that the mentioned health
crisis affected the work scene in great numbers, leaving 4.6 million Filipinos

jobless in July 2020, which is a 10% unemployment rate among Filipinos aged 15

and up. This is 4.6% more than the unemployment rate in June 2020 (Lopez

2020). A change of workplace environment has also been implemented by

numerous companies, which is a factor that can affect human productivity, as

coping with changes can cause a lack of motivation (K. Sloan 2018).

Neuroscientific studies state that the origins of motivation start in the

human brain, in which neurotransmitters send chemical messages to keep

humans alert and on track of doing their tasks. Specifically, the neurotransmitter

responsible for this is dopamine. Dopamine’s chemical signal gets passed from

one neuron to the next, and between those two neurons, dopamine interacts with

various receptors inside the synapse, affecting the rest of the human body

(Cawley et al. 2013). High levels of dopamine have been shown to improve

people’s productivity, especially when they experience moments of high stress.

Thus, motivation happens when a person anticipates that something

important is about to happen (Lee, 2019). These existing scenarios made us

come up with a potential solution in order to boost human productivity, which is to

create a software that can serve as a personal productivity tracking tool to help

people be on track on their daily tasks.

B. Statement of the Problem

 The main objective of this study is to create a software that can potentially

help people keep track of their daily tasks. The sense of organization and

anticipation of completing each task may help in increasing their motivation to

accomplish them.

Specifically, it sought to answer the following questions:

1. What is the overall effectiveness rating of the application according to the

respondents?

2. What is the overall marketability of the application according to the

respondents?

3. What is the usability rate from 1 (ineffective) to 5 (remarkable) of the

DopaMINE application in terms of:

a. Design/layout

b. On-page explanations

c. Interactivity

C. Hypothesis

The researchers hypothesized that:

1. H 0: There will be no significant effect from viewing the DopaMINE

application at all.
2. H 0: The application would not be marketable according to the

respondents.

3. H 0: There will be ineffective rates on the DopaMINE application in terms

of: (a) design/layout, (b) on-page explanations, and (c) interactivity.

D. Significance of the Study

The study, once proven after extensive research and experimentation, can

contribute to the benefit of neuroscientific and psychological studies. One main

goal of the application is to improve the motivation and productivity of any

individual that will use the device, which will be done by initiating, guiding, and

maintaining the individual’s goal-oriented behaviors by increasing their dopamine

levels. Boosting motivation and productivity can help people in different aspects,

especially in working, building rapport, and improving working relationships.

Being motivated have incredibly significant benefits: it allows people to improve

and change their attitude and behavior towards things, develop different

competencies, be creative, learn how to set goals and manage time, grow

interest in certain activities and tasks they are obliged to perform, learn how to

make, and prioritize plans, develop new skills and talents, and boost

engagement. These characteristics of an individual are beneficial in any working

environment, even in the individual’s household. 

E. Scope and Limitations

 The research investigatory project entitled, “DopaMINE: Personal

Productivity Tracking Tool” solely focuses on the ratings of the respondents to

the functionality and efficiency of the application, as well as its design, on-page

explanations, interactivity, and convenience. The experimentation of the study

will be conducted for 3 to 4 months (tentative), online (solely using Windows OS

computers of the participants) and in the researchers’ household. The variables

are named as follows: The DopaMINE application as the independent variable,

response, and efficiency of the application to the users as the dependent

variable, and the number of testing days as the controlled variable. There will

only be one trial for the user-testing.

F. Definition of Terms

The research study entitled, DopaMINE: Personal Productivity Tracking Tool

contains terminologies that might be unfamiliar to other people. To help better

understand this study, key terminologies will be defined:

Bug testing is a process conducted to identify any flaws or faults in a software

program.

C# is the programming language used to build the application.

Coding is the process of using a programming language to successfully run a

software in a computer following a set of instructions.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for how an individual

feels pleasure and motivation. It is also aimed to be stimulated to boost the

respondents’ productivity.
Productivity is an observable measure in the study distinguished by the number

of tasks accomplished by a respondent.

Tracking is the process of following the course of productivity and status of the

respondents participating in the study.

User Interface is the overall design and layout of the application where the

features are arranged arbitrarily.

 Chapter II

Materials and Methods

The study was based solely on DopaMINE’s functionality as a personal

productivity tracking tool. The experimentation was conducted at the researchers’

household. Gadgets such as personal computers and smartphones (solely for

data recording and research) were used in building the software.

A. Materials and Equipment

Preparation of equipment and materials needed to create the software

was conducted. Each respondent’s laptop/desktop (for designing, building, and

testing the product), smartphone (solely for survey and quiz tallying and

distribution), and internet connection were checked and prepared for the

succeeding procedures.

B. General Procedures

1. Planning and Requirement Analysis

Conceptualization of the project DopaMINE involved planning and

studying its economical, operational, and technical feasibility. The main concept

and layout of the project was planned out after recognizing the project’s

objective. Then, the gathering of appropriate respondents took place. The

sample size which was 150 students and the number of required responses that

totaled 109 was determined through the utilization of the Slovin’s formula.

Several Cavite Science Integrated School’s enrolled Grade 12 students in

S.Y. 2020-2021 were selected as respondents in the enrollee list through simple

random sampling technique and were given a preliminary survey as part of the

feasibility study. This was conducted to know if respondents have a device with

certain specifications that can install the software. Qualified respondents who

took the test then underwent answering the preliminary quiz regarding

productivity and motivation.

2. Making the Survey Questionnaires

Survey questions were encoded in Google Forms, an online questionnaire

website. The preliminary survey and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) survey

were created in the said site.

3. Designing the Product Architecture

Layouts for the project’s features were conceptualized and drawn. The

User Interface (UI) mockups of the project were created through Visual Studio
Community Edition 2019 on a desktop computer. A programming flowchart was

illustrated in order to project the coding process.

4. Building/Developing the Product (Programming)

Code generation for the project was accomplished by using a high-level

programming language such as the c# programming language for the software

and Standard Query Language (SQL) for the database. The programming
language was chosen with respect to the type of software being developed.

Visual Studio Community Edition 2019 was the Integrated Development

Environment (IDE) software used for the coding. The database was created

through Microsoft Access.

5. Product Testing

The Quality Assurance Testing (QAT) was conducted after the software

production by the researchers themselves. A sample size of 150 that was taken

from the forementioned list of respondents participated in the User Acceptance

Testing (UAT) which included surveys for feedback. Responses and feedbacks

from the UAT will be gathered and analyzed to ascertain that the project is

equipped for deployment.

6. Risk and Safety

Respondents’ activities were monitored through the created database.

The whole experimentation process was conducted in their households to

observe safety measures and protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

7. Statistical Analysis
 Data gathered from the created database was statistically analyzed

through Microsoft Excel’s MegaStat to determine its significant difference. T-test

was the kind of statistical test utilized in the study.