Performance expectancy benefits acceptance towards digital support for self-regulation

The persistent prevalence of distractions challenges people's capacities to study and work productively. Digital tools can support focusing on meaningful tasks with features like time tracking, feedback, or rewards. Evidence exists for benefits regarding behavioral focus, distraction management, and motivation, but also for hesitation to use digital support at all. Building on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), this research explores which factors can foster or hinder the intention to use an exemplary software to support self-regulation.

A sample of 96 adult volunteers watched a short introductory video explaining how the software focUS fosters self-regulated studying and working. Subsequently, participants completed an online survey to capture their willingness to use focUS, expected gains and challenges, and individual characteristics.

Participants expressed stronger intentions to use focUS when they expected increased benefits in performance. By trend, lower levels of expected effort also hinted on stronger intentions to use focUS. Contrary to expectations, participants lacking previous experience with software in the scope described, who anticipated higher effort when using focUS, tended to express stronger intentions to use it.

Taken together, our evidence suggests that highlighting specific performance improvements may encourage the use of digital support for tasks that require self-regulation. Ensuring the use of digital support to be as effortless as possible could provide yet another compelling argument to use it. Particularly for inexperienced users, sparking curiosity for the challenges of the unknown might be a worthwhile strategy to reduce hesitation towards emerging technologies.