Exploring Trigger-Action Programs for Designing Self-Control Tools in Mobile Devices

Individuals may spend three to five hours interacting with their smartphone screens daily. Many of them want to reduce their screen time but fail–despite the many digital wellbeing tools currently available. For example, digital self-control tools (DSCTs) support user self-control of digital device use through awareness of usage patterns or letting users set time limits for specific websites, but their effectiveness in the long term remains little explored. We conducted 7 focus groups with 39 participants to investigate the use and non-use of current DSCTs in mobile devices. We further explored user attitudes about trigger-action programming (TAP, if-this-then-that rules) in designing customized DSCTs and elicited their preferences via a sketching session during the focus groups. Data analysis was grounded in the framework of the Habit Alteration Model. Findings show how nuanced individual self-control needs can be met with TAPs. Two smartphone design prototypes are presented to demonstrate our study findings.