Hi I am Habit Trainer: Self-empowering virtual assistant that facilitates implementation intention and rehearsal
Author
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-06-12
Pages
10
Abstract
Habit development is a central theme when exploring long term behavior change. Implementation intention can support conscious creation and formulation of a habit, while rehearsal can support the need for repetition of the target behavior in a consistent context until the habit becomes automatic. This paper describes an exploratory study in which a virtual assistant is utilized to support implementation intention and rehearsal over a 4 week period. We describe the findings and experiences with creating and formulating habits with a virtual assistant and rehearsing it over time to develop it as a habit. Habit development was measured throughout the study with the Self Report Behavioral Automaticity Index and self-reported adherence. The assessment was further supported with in-depth interviews at the end of the study period. We found an overall acceptance of both the concept of creating and rehearsing an implementation intention with a virtual assistant. Our results suggest that there are many opportunities for improving the use of virtual assistants for habit development. We summarize the most important findings and present a set of design recommendations for developers and future research.
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