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Article
Digital wellbeing tools through users lens
Technology in Society
  • Mohamed Basel Almourad, Zayed University
  • Amen Alrobai, King Abdulaziz University
  • Tiffany Skinner, Bournemouth University
  • Mohammed Hussain, Zayed University
  • Raian Ali, Hamad bin Khalifa University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2021
Abstract

There is a growing recognition of excessive, compulsive, and hasty use of technology as an emerging form of problematic behavior affecting individuals' emotional, social, and occupational wellbeing. Smartphone overuse, in particular, has been linked to negative effects on users' quality of life, such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance and loss in productivity. One strategy to help regulate digital usage and, potentially, increase digital wellbeing is to devise smartphone applications to collect data about usage and increase users' awareness of it and enable them to set limits and alert users accordingly. However, such applications have not been extensively evaluated from the users' perspective and whether they help the basic requirements for digital wellbeing. In this paper, we examine the quality of the emerging family of digital wellbeing smartphone applications from the users' perspective and based on persuasive design and established behavioral change theories. We performed a thematic analysis on the users’ reviews on two popular applications, SPACE Break Phone Addiction and Google Digital Wellbeing (GDW). We report on the factors influencing user acceptance and rejection towards digital wellbeing applications and identify possible challenges and opportunities to improve their design and role in future releases.

Publisher
Elsevier
Keywords
  • Digital wellbeing,
  • Digital wellness,
  • Digital addiction
Scopus ID

85117406194

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Hybrid: This publication is openly available in a subscription-based journal/series
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101778
Citation Information
Mohamed Basel Almourad, Amen Alrobai, Tiffany Skinner, Mohammed Hussain, et al.. "Digital wellbeing tools through users lens" Technology in Society (2021)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/mohammed-hussain/22/