Not Merely Deemed as Distraction: Investigating Smartphone Users' Motivations for Notification-Interaction

Xi Jing Chang, Fang Hsin Hsu, En Chi Liang, Zih Yun Chiou, Ho Hsuan Chuang, Fang Ching Tseng, Yu Hsin Lin, Yung Ju Chang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Notifications are commonly considered a distraction when they arrive during a task, and consequently, prior research has consistently sought effective ways of deferring their arrival until task transitions. However, many smartphone users still interact with notifications during tasks. In our qualitative study combining diary study and semi-structured interviews, we examined 34 research participants' motivations for interacting with smartphone notifications at different times, including during tasks. Our findings resulted in a human-notification interaction framework comprised of 12 unique motivations frequently associated with three activity timings for interacting with notifications, including before-task, during-task, and after-task. Notably, participants frequently perceived interaction with notifications as a tool for improving task performance, making the most of their time, and promoting personal well-being, rather than only as a distraction. The before-the-task timing, in particular, has received little attention in previous research and deserves more attention as it was related to specific user motivations for notification interaction.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCHI 2023 - Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9781450394215
DOIs
StatePublished - 19 Apr 2023
Event2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2023 - Hamburg, Germany
Duration: 23 Apr 202328 Apr 2023

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2023
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityHamburg
Period23/04/2328/04/23

Keywords

  • Attention Management
  • Interruptions
  • Multitasking
  • Notifications
  • Opportune Moment

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Not Merely Deemed as Distraction: Investigating Smartphone Users' Motivations for Notification-Interaction'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this