Personalizing Digital Self-Control Tools: Exploring the Role of Decision-Making Styles, Motivation, and Self-Esteem

Abstract

Personalization is viewed as an important aspect of effective behavioral interventions in designing Digital Self-Control Tools (DSCTs). However, a shared understanding of how to consider users’ individual differences for tailoring self-management interventions is still lacking in the HCI community. To address this, this paper extends previous discussions on three experiential aspects of users’ self-management behaviors with DSCTs: self-esteem, different decision-making styles, and motivation goal types. An exploratory user study was conducted to investigate the effects of users’ decision-making styles and motivation goal types on their levels of self-esteem and self-management behaviors when experiencing self-management contexts. The results of the user study are presented in this paper, which will be used as a theoretical and empirical ground for further design initiatives. Furthermore, the findings highlight the importance of considering users’ individual differences for further design research and practice to create effective DSCTs.

Keywords: Human-centered Design, Decision-making Styles, Motivation Goal Types, Digital Self-control Tools, Behavioral Changes

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006889