Using Time in Mobile App Design as a Strategy to Foster User Engagement: A Systematic Analysis of Learning and Marketplace Applications

This study examines time as a key dimension of digital product design and how it relates to user engagement mechanisms in apps. It analyses the temporal affordances of eight apps from two attention-monetizing categories—marketplaces (AliExpress, Amazon, Shein, Zalando) and learning apps (Busuu, Duolingo, Impulse, Mimo)—using the System of Analysis of Time in Applications (SATime). The findings suggest that temporal characteristics previously identified in social media applications are also present in other app categories that rely on engagement and time monetization, revealing distinct temporal patterns across categories.The study contributes to the limited HCI research on temporality in mobile applications and advances understanding of engagement design by highlighting how temporal structures may relate to user experience. Importantly, it highlights the need to shift the focus of responsibility from users’ self-regulation toward the role of designers, companies, and institutions in shaping behavioral responses during mobile phone use.