Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2025
04:54
Iterative Development of an Innovative Smartphone-Based Dietary Assessment Tool: Traqq
Published on: March 19, 2021
4.7K
Toward Research-Informed Design Implications for Interventions Limiting Smartphone Use: Functionalities Review of
Sultan Almoallim1, Corina Sas1
1School of Computing and Communications, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom.
JMIR Formative Research
|February 21, 2022
Summary
This study reviewed 39 commercial and 17 academic digital well-being apps, finding most focus on limiting screen time. Recommendations are provided for designing more effective digital well-being technologies.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Digital Well-being Technology
- App Functionality Analysis
Background:
- Extensive research in human-computer interaction (HCI) explores technology's role in supporting well-being.
- A proliferation of commercial digital well-being applications exists, yet scholarly reviews are limited.
- Existing research often overlooks the practical functionality and user experience of these apps.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a comprehensive review of popular commercial digital well-being apps and academic counterparts.
- To analyze the functionalities of 39 commercial apps from the Google Play Store and 17 academic apps.
- To provide insights into the user experience of digital well-being technologies through autoethnography.
Main Methods:
- Systematic selection of 39 commercial apps (out of 1250) and 17 academic apps.
- Functionality analysis based on app descriptions for both commercial and academic apps.
- Autoethnographic study involving interaction with commercial apps to understand user experience.
Main Results:
- Commercial digital well-being apps predominantly focus on screen time limitation.
- Identified distinctions between monitoring use, tracking against limits, and specific interventions for limited use.
- The study highlights a need to move beyond simple screen time restrictions.
Conclusions:
- Future digital well-being app design should broaden focus beyond screen time.
- Emphasize supporting meaningful digital engagement over merely limiting usage.
- Incorporate design elements like digital navigation friction and collaborative features.
- Recommendations include explicit time-based visualizations and ethical design principles.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
10
Since the early 2000s, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has grown rapidly, playing a crucial role in self-development. A key distinction between CMC and real-life interactions is the lack of a physically present partner. This absence makes non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, body language, and paralinguistic signals unavailable in CMC platforms like email, instant messaging, or social media. The lack of these cues can create ambiguity and complicate how feedback is interpreted.The...
10
01:13Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
252
Insufficient sleep refers to not getting the recommended amount of sleep for optimal functioning, even if it's just slightly less than needed. Sleep insufficiency may occur due to lifestyle choices, such as staying up late for social events or work, resulting in routinely getting less sleep than required. For example, consistently sleeping 6 hours when the body needs 7-9 hours can lead to cumulative effects on health and well-being.
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
252
01:23Design Example
386
The innovation of touch-tone telephony revolutionized the telecommunications industry by replacing the traditional rotary dial with a dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signaling system. This system uses a matrix-style keypad with buttons arranged in four rows and three columns, creating 12 distinct signals each assigned to a pair of frequencies. Each button press results in a simultaneous generation of two sinusoidal tones – one from a low-frequency group (697 to 941 Hz) and one from a...
386
01:27Protecting Self-Esteem
5
Self-esteem, a central component of psychological well-being, is actively maintained through various cognitive and behavioral strategies. Individuals employ specific mechanisms to preserve a positive self-concept and mitigate threats to their self-worth, particularly in contexts involving social evaluation or personal feedback. Four primary techniques are commonly used to sustain self-esteem.Manipulating AppraisalsOne prominent strategy involves manipulating appraisals from others. Individuals...
5