GreyZone: Promoting Smartphone Non-Use

Geisler, Bikkittannguaq Seeri Marie

4. Term

Interaction Design, Master of Science (MSc)

2021

2021-06-10

35 pages

High smartphone usage is an ongoing tendency in modern society and has been consistently rising over the years. Current strategies for achieving non-use or reducing use of smartphones have been shown to be successful, however these solutions are mostly software-based. In this thesis, I have investigated if and how provocation can be utilised to make a viable solution to reduce smartphone usage. Specifically, the focus was on investigating the provocative aspects, conceptual, functional, aesthetical, and material and how they contribute to making reflections of one's own smartphone usage. For that purpose, a provocative interaction design, GreyZone, was designed and constructed, which is a physical box limiting smartphone usage to a maximum of one hour per day. To evaluate GreyZone, a longitudinal study was conducted with six participants for three weeks. Of these participants, three of them were provided a provotype and a diary to document their daily experiences with GreyZone. The main findings from the study show that two participants made reflections of their current and their intended smartphone usage while one participant found the provotype too provocative and therefore quit the study. Three participants reported having reduced their smartphone usage, which was especially social media usage.

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