Introduction: Individuals with burnout often experience cognitive challenges in general performance or the excessive effort to perform certain tasks. With the increasing work pace over the years, on average, over 10% of workers in Europe and over 17% in non-European countries had experienced burnout up until 2018 (Schaufeli, 2018). Personal solutions like websites and guided meditation applications have emerged to help alleviate burnout symptoms. Governments have passed legislation to prevent burnout from occurring.

The advancing cognitive personal informatics (CPI) technology has made it possible to monitor psychophysiological data and quantify human cognition and cognitive activities. The quantified human cognition-related data could be of great value to people who wish to be more aware of their condition or needs and refer to this information in reflective activities to become a better version of themselves.

Methodology: Three main research questions were generated to inquire about the role of cognitive data in burnout solutions. This project follows the principles of participatory design and the double diamond framework with minor adaptations to answer the research questions. Background research was conducted to gather theoretical and practical information on topics related to burnout solutions, measures of cognitive data, and state-of-the-art CPI technology. Semi-structured interviews with people with burnout experience were conducted as a user study. Creative sessions with target users were conducted to guide the design direction.

Results: The background research clarified the basic burnout profile as well as the cognitive burnout correlates that can be measured by CPI systems. This part of the research elaborated on 7 key correlates that can later be applied in the design phase. The participatory design research activities revealed different perspectives from potential users on burnout that complemented the background research. The participatory design activities also proposed key features that shaped the initial concept.

Conclusion: A design guideline was proposed to help users make good use of CPI technology and self-reflection to search for burnout solutions independently based on the research findings. Some of the key stages in the guideline were conceptualized into wireframes. The guideline suggests users should have full control and support over the entire burnout recovery process, with resources for community support when needed.