Reflection and Critique:

On the demo day, people suggested that users could set their preferred focus time, and the flower would bloom according to the customized duration. Another critic pointed out that what if people are focused on work that is not digital such as reading a book or crafting? What sensors or other methods could we use to identify the focused state? 

In terms of what we can improve, we can use a passive infrared sensor to detect human motion/body temperature rather than an ultrasonic sensor in order to avoid arbitrary inputs such as distance between the user and the computer. Furthermore, we can dig into collecting screen usage time, email reply times, particular software usage time, etc., or even corporate productivity tracking software to get a more accurately defined focused state. Regarding the experience design, we can research more on different motions of LED, such as fading in and out to indicate users to interact or blinking in certain patterns to represent different messages from their partners. The motion of flower blooming and wilting can also be improved to be less mechanical and more natural and smooth. Moreover, If there are conductive leaves, users can touch different parts of the leaves to trigger various interactions more naturally rather than pressing a button.