Restoring Engagement in Digital Self-Control Tools Using Nudge Reconfiguration Prompts: Quasi-Experimental Study

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Digital self-control tools (DSCTs) aim to reduce excessive smartphone use but struggle with user engagement and retention.
• Understanding user engagement drivers, particularly observable behaviors versus self-reports, is crucial for DSCT effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if prompting users to reconfigure nudges increases interaction with DSCTs.
• To analyze engagement evolution and behavioral differences between users accepting or rejecting interventions.
• To compare the predictive power of observable in-app behaviors versus self-reported measures for intervention acceptance.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study with 252 participants who had disabled nudges.
• Random assignment to a nudge reconfiguration prompt (experimental) or control group.
• Analysis of DSCT logs and self-reported data using difference-in-differences, t-tests, and chi-square tests.

Main Results:

• 46% of experimental users accepted the prompt, significantly increasing their user-nudge interaction ratio.
• Users accepting the prompt exhibited pre-existing behavioral indicators of higher change readiness.
• Observable behaviors, like usage thresholds, predicted acceptance better than self-reported screen time goals or regret.

Conclusions:

• Observable in-app behaviors are more effective than self-reports in identifying users receptive to DSCT interventions.
• DSCT design should leverage adaptive strategies based on in-app behaviors to enhance user engagement and readiness to change.
• Behaviorally-informed adaptive DSCTs are likely to surpass static or self-report-reliant interventions.