research-article

The Race Towards Digital Wellbeing: Issues and Opportunities

Authors:

Alberto Monge Roffarello,

Luigi De RussisAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Paper No.: 386, Pages 1 - 14

https://doi.org/10.1145/3290605.3300616

Published: 02 May 2019 Publication History

Abstract

As smartphone use increases dramatically, so do studies about technology overuse. Many different mobile apps for breaking "smartphone addiction" and achieving "digital wellbeing" are available. However, it is still not clear whether and how such solutions work. Which functionality do they have? Are they effective and appreciated? Do they have a relevant impact on users' behavior? To answer these questions, (i) we reviewed the features of 42 digital wellbeing apps, (ii) we performed a thematic analysis on 1,128 user reviews of such apps, and (iii) we conducted a 3-week-long in-the-wild study of Socialize, an app that includes the most common digital wellbeing features, with 38 participants. We discovered that digital wellbeing apps are appreciated and useful for some specific situations. However, they do not promote the formation of new habits and they are perceived as not restrictive enough, thus not effectively helping users to change their behavior with smartphones.

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Index Terms

The Race Towards Digital Wellbeing: Issues and Opportunities
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. HCI design and evaluation methods
      1. Field studies
      2. User studies
  2. Ubiquitous and mobile computing
    1. Empirical studies in ubiquitous and mobile computing
    2. Ubiquitous and mobile devices
      1. Smartphones

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '19: Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

May 2019

9077 pages

ISBN:9781450359702

DOI:10.1145/3290605

General Chairs:
Stephen Brewster
University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK
,
Geraldine Fitzpatrick
TU Wien, Austria
,
Program Chairs:
Anna Cox
University College London, UK
,
Vassilis Kostakos
University of Melbourne, Australia

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Published: 02 May 2019

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Cited By

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https://doi.org/10.2478/ijhrd-2024-0010
Nakamura YTakao RFukushima SArakawa Y(2025)Ethical Disengagement in Mobile Games: The Effects of Loading Delay and Grayscale on User EngagementProceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies10.1145/37122819:1(1-21)Online publication date: 3-Mar-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3712281
Yu JAyobi AMarshall PO'Kane A(2025)Creatively Supporting Mental Wellbeing: A Tangible Toolkit to Scaffold Self-Tracking through Mindful ColouringProceedings of the Nineteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction10.1145/3689050.3704944(1-17)Online publication date: 4-Mar-2025
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3689050.3704944
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