Development of a Mobile Intervention for Procrastination Augmented With a Semigenerative Chatbot for University...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Procrastination significantly impacts university students' academic performance and mental well-being.
• Existing time management applications often lack therapeutic strategies to address the psychological roots of procrastination.
• A semigenerative chatbot, Moa, was developed and integrated into a to-do app to provide these missing therapeutic elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a to-do app with an integrated chatbot (Moa) compared to a standard to-do app.
• To assess behavioral and cognitive changes in users, analyze the impact of engagement patterns, and explore user experience.
• To determine if the integrated chatbot offers superior benefits in managing procrastination and stress.

Main Methods:

• A 30-day pilot randomized controlled trial with 85 university students in South Korea.
• Participants used either a standard to-do app (control) or a to-do app integrated with the Moa chatbot (treatment).
• Evaluated changes in procrastination, time management, and stress using validated scales (Irrational Procrastination Scale, Pure Procrastination Scale, Time Management Behavior Scale, Perceived Stress Scale) at baseline, 1 month, and 2 months. User engagement was clustered, and user experience was assessed via usability, feasibility, acceptability, and thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• The Moa-integrated app significantly improved Time Management Behavior Scale and Perceived Stress Scale scores from baseline to 1 month (P<.001 and P=.009, respectively).
• Significant reductions in procrastination were observed across most user engagement clusters in the treatment group.
• The treatment group reported good usability and higher acceptability, with users experiencing self-reflection and an alliance with the app.

Conclusions:

• The chatbot-integrated app demonstrated superior efficacy in modifying user behavior and delivering psychological support.
• This integrated approach offers a valuable tool for simultaneously managing procrastination and stress in students.
• Future applications can leverage AI chatbots within productivity tools for enhanced mental well-being support.