Time Off: Designing Lively Representations as Imaginative Triggers for Healthy Smartphone Use

Kenny K.N. Chow*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper describes the approach employed in an ongoing project aiming to foster healthy smartphone use via Time Off, a mobile application presenting an animated genie on the screen together with a physical jacket for the phone. The genie becomes tired and ill, when one spends prolonged time on the phone. Time Off demonstrates application of the liveliness framework, grounded in concepts from cognitive science including animacy and blending, to designing dynamic representations of behavioral data that stimulate users’ imagination of possible outcomes and reflection on the causes, highlighting the motivators for a change. We conduct a field trial with 14 participants for two to six weeks. Qualitative findings show that participants having intention to change expressed more levels of imagination and reflection. Their logged data also show reduction in length or frequency of use sessions, suggesting that lively representations can project a kind of imaginative trigger that motivates people.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPersuasive Technology
Subtitle of host publication13th International Conference, PERSUASIVE 2018, Waterloo, ON, Canada, April 18-19, 2018, Proceedings
EditorsPlinio P. Morita, Catherine M. Burns, Jaap Ham, Evangelos Karapanos
PublisherSpringer Cham
Pages135-146
Number of pages12
ISBN (Electronic)9783319789781
ISBN (Print)9783319789774
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 3 Apr 2018
Event13th International Conference on Persuasive Technology, PERSUASIVE 2018 - Waterloo, Canada
Duration: 18 Apr 201819 Apr 2018
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-78978-1

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume10809
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349
NameInformation Systems and Applications, incl. Internet/Web, and HCI
ISSN (Print)2946-1634
ISSN (Electronic)2946-1642
NamePERSUASIVE: International Conference on Persuasive Technology

Conference

Conference13th International Conference on Persuasive Technology, PERSUASIVE 2018
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityWaterloo
Period18/04/1819/04/18
Internet address

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • General Computer Science

User-Defined Keywords

  • Behavior change
  • Internet or mobile addiction
  • Liveliness

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