Terms of Service

1. About Balance

Balance is a web-based emotion-aware productivity planner developed as the primary artefact for a dissertation project at Southampton Solent University (Academic Year 2025–26). It is a research prototype, not a commercial product.

The application is provided free of charge for the purpose of academic research and usability evaluation. Its primary goal is to investigate whether emotion-aware task recommendations can improve digital productivity and wellbeing.

2. Using the app

By using Balance, you agree to:

• •Provide accurate information when creating your account
• •Use the application for personal productivity purposes only
• •Not attempt to access other users' data or circumvent security measures
• •Not use the application for any unlawful or harmful purpose
• •Be at least 16 years old (GDPR age of digital consent in the UK)

3. Your content

You retain ownership of all content you create in Balance — your tasks, mood entries, and notes are yours. By using Balance, you grant us a limited licence to store and process this content solely to provide the application's functionality.

Anonymised and aggregated data (with no personally identifiable information) may be used in the dissertation research findings. Individual user data will never be identified or disclosed in research outputs.

4. Research participation

Some users may be invited to participate in usability testing as part of the dissertation evaluation. Participation is entirely voluntary. If you participate:

• •You will be informed of the purpose before the session begins
• •You can withdraw at any time without consequence
• •Any feedback provided will be anonymised in research reporting
• •Ethical clearance has been obtained from Southampton Solent University

5. Disclaimer of warranties

The emotion-aware task recommendations provided by Balance are based on a simplified model and should not be taken as professional mental health, medical, or productivity advice. If you are experiencing significant mental health difficulties, please seek support from a qualified professional.

6. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Balance and its developer (Rebeca Boara, Southampton Solent University) shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the application. Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you have paid for the service — which is zero, as Balance is free.

7. Account termination

You can delete your account at any time from the Settings screen. Upon deletion, all your data (mood entries, tasks, preferences) will be permanently and irreversibly removed from our systems.

We reserve the right to suspend accounts that violate these terms. The Balance application may be decommissioned following the conclusion of the dissertation research period, at which point all user data will be securely deleted.

8. Changes to these terms

As this is an academic prototype with a fixed research timeline, significant changes to these terms are unlikely. Any changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of Balance after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

9. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from the use of Balance shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

10. Contact