Hi I am Habit Trainer: Self-empowering virtual assistant that facilitates implementation intention and rehearsal

Christensen, Anders Wiese

4. Term

Digitalisation and Application Development, MSc

2020

2020-06-12

10

Vaneudvikling er afgørende for varig adfærdsændring. Implementeringsintentioner er simple hvis-så-planer, der kobler et bestemt signal (fx hvis klokken er 8) til en konkret handling (så går jeg en tur). Øvelse eller gentagelse betyder at træne den ønskede adfærd i den samme kontekst, indtil den føles automatisk. Dette eksplorative studie undersøgte, hvordan en virtuel assistent kan understøtte begge dele over fire uger. Assistenten hjalp deltagerne med at formulere implementeringsintentioner og mindede dem om løbende at øve adfærden. Vi fulgte udviklingen af vaner med Self-Report Behavioral Automaticity Index (et spørgeskema, der måler, hvor automatisk en adfærd føles) og selvrapporteret efterlevelse, og vi gennemførte dybdeinterviews ved studiets afslutning. Deltagerne udviste overordnet accept af at bruge en virtuel assistent til at skabe og øve implementeringsintentioner. Vores resultater peger på flere muligheder for at forbedre virtuelle assistenter til vaneudvikling. Vi opsummerer de vigtigste indsigter og præsenterer designanbefalinger til udviklere og fremtidig forskning.

Habit formation is key to lasting behavior change. Implementation intentions are simple if-then plans that link a specific cue (for example, if it is 8 a.m.) to a concrete action (then I will go for a walk). Rehearsal means practicing the target behavior repeatedly in the same context until it feels automatic. This exploratory study examined how a virtual assistant could support both steps over four weeks. The assistant helped participants create implementation intentions and prompted ongoing rehearsal of the behavior. We tracked habit development using the Self-Report Behavioral Automaticity Index (a questionnaire that assesses how automatic a behavior feels) and self-reported adherence, and conducted in-depth interviews at the end of the study. Participants generally accepted the idea of using a virtual assistant to create and rehearse implementation intentions. Our findings point to several opportunities to improve virtual assistants for habit formation. We summarize the key insights and present design recommendations for developers and future research.

[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]

Implementation intention (IMI) ; Digital Behavior Change Intervention (DBCI) ; Rehearsal; ; Habit Formation; ; Virtual Assistant (VA)

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