TYPE OF WORK
Master thesis
CATEGORY
Research
TIME
April 2024 - Aug 2024
Overview
This project is my Master's dissertation, conducted as part of the Human-Computer Interaction program at UCL. Along with two other classmates working under the same supervisor, each of us explored a different angle of self-tracking to address various aspects of time management.
We divided 27 participants among the three of us for the interviews, with my focus on examining the reflective practices and behavioral insights that participants gained through tracking their work time. Through these interviews and a thematic analysis, this research provides design recommendations for self-tracking systems that encourage meaningful reflection and support personal productivity.
We divided 27 participants among the three of us for the interviews, with my focus on examining the reflective practices and behavioral insights that participants gained through tracking their work time. Through these interviews and a thematic analysis, this research provides design recommendations for self-tracking systems that encourage meaningful reflection and support personal productivity.
Problem Statement
Time-tracking tools are widely used to increase productivity. However, there is a gap in understanding the qualitative outcomes of these tools, specifically, the insights and reflections that people gain from tracking their work time.
Using these tools, some individuals are able to identify valuable patterns and time-wasting activities, but others do not achieve similar benefits. This difference prompts two central questions:
Using these tools, some individuals are able to identify valuable patterns and time-wasting activities, but others do not achieve similar benefits. This difference prompts two central questions:
- What insights do people gain from self-tracking and reflecting on their work time data?
- How and why do some people gain insights from their work time data?
Addressing both questions will allow for the proposal of design recommendations for time tracking tools that better support reflection at the workplace/academic settings, while also addressing a significant gap in HCI literature.
Background Research
I conducted an in-depth literature review of existing studies on self-tracking, time management, and behavior change, with a particular focus on how reflective practices impact personal productivity. Previous literature often highlight the benefits of tracking quantitative metrics, but provide limited insight into how individuals gain qualitative insights through self-reflection.
Pilot Study
In an initial two-week pilot study, ten students used the productivity app Sunsama to track and plan their daily tasks. Although insightful, participants found the tool too complex, which resulted in low engagement and a high dropout rate. Based on this feedback, the main study employed a simpler, spreadsheet-based tool that allowed flexibility and a less structured approach, aiming to improve engagement and the quality of insights gained.
Main Study
The main study involved 27 PhD students in a month-long self-tracking exercise focused on reflecting on their work time habits. Using a custom-designed spreadsheet, participants logged both work-related and personal activities, recording start and end times and noting any reflections on their work patterns. After the tracking period, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 9 participants to capture their unique insights and reflections on the data.
In order to analyze the data collected from the interviews, I used thematic analysis to identify key patterns in participants' self-tracking experiences, including their perceptions of time usage, behavioral impacts, and emotional responses throughout the process.
In order to analyze the data collected from the interviews, I used thematic analysis to identify key patterns in participants' self-tracking experiences, including their perceptions of time usage, behavioral impacts, and emotional responses throughout the process.
Results
The study revealed five key themes from the analysis, each offering insights into how participants engaged with self-tracking and reflection on their work time.
- Increased Awareness of Time Usage: Many participants reported an increased awareness of how they spent their time, often discovering discrepancies between their assumptions and actual time spent on tasks.
- Influence on Emotions and Behaviors: Time tracking brought out a diverse range of emotional responses among participants which led to changes in participants' behavior
- Limitations of Self-Tracking Alone: Some participants felt that time tracking alone was not sufficient for their productivity needs nor it was enough to gain actionable insights and required additional support.
- Insights on Task Definition and Work Habits: There was a noticeable relation between being able to clearly define tasks and the amount of reflection on work habits. Those that identified tasks at the lowest level resulted in more efficient time tracking, as it is easier to reflect on particular tasks rather than broad ones.
- Preference for Simplicity in Tracking Tools: A consistent finding was that participants favored simpler, less intrusive tools over complex tracking systems. Many appreciated the straightforward spreadsheet format.
Design Implications
The results suggest several design recommendations to make self-tracking tools more engaging and effective:
- Guided reflection prompts: Integrate prompts at key times, like the end of the day or after task completion, to encourage users to identify productivity patterns or distractions.
- Support task definition and deconstruction: Include features that guide users in breaking down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps, such as the use of user stories.
- Enhance emotional engagement through personalization and flexibility: Allow users to personalize and simplify the tracking experience, tailoring it to their preferences and working styles for greater satisfaction and insights.
- Provide support systems or social features: Develop a conversational agent that prompts users about their daily goals each morning. At the end of the day or after task completion, users can log updates following a template. The agent holds users accountable but without reporting to supervisors, ensuring that they feel no guilt if goals aren't met.
Project Relevance
This project fills a gap in the literature by focusing on the qualitative benefits of self-tracking for time management. While studies often address productivity metrics, few explore how users gain actionable insights through reflection. This research highlights the reflective processes and emotional engagement necessary for effective self-tracking, offering design implications for future systems that go beyond tracking to actively support behavior change.
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