ABSTRACT
Procrastination, characterized by intentionally postponing tasks, pervades several life domains including academics and professional work. This habitual delay can lead to marked deterioration in performance and potentially harmful implications for mental health. To address this widespread phenomenon, our study employs a "Research through Design" approach to develop an agent system that effectively curbs procrastination, bolsters self-control, lessens psychological stress and facilitates efficient task completion. Understanding procrastination as a multifaceted issue influenced by both individual characteristics and task nature, our research integrates insights from a comprehensive range of psychological studies. Contributors to procrastination tendencies, such as self-control abilities and perceived task difficulty, form the foundation of our "Hypothesis Proposal." Guided by these insights, we introduce two distinctive methods - the "Self-Agent" and the "Teacher-Agent." The Self-Agent method, designed specifically for individuals exhibiting lower self-control abilities, seeks to foster a supportive environment for task completion, thereby reducing pressure and promoting self-regulation. Alternatively, the Teacher-Agent is aimed at individuals with higher self-control abilities, leveraging these inherent traits to enhance task performance further. Our research findings, rooted in the "Research through Design" approach, suggest that the selection between the Self-Agent and Teacher-Agent impacts both task performance and overall impressions of the system. This difference correlates directly with the users’ self-control abilities, underlining the importance of personalized, user-centric strategies in managing procrastination. Although our current study primarily focuses on short-term task execution, we acknowledge the vital role of autonomy in longer-term tasks. Thus, following the "Hypothesis Proposal," our future research will explore strategies to mitigate the "perception of task difficulty," a well-established catalyst for procrastination. We aim to extend our support beyond the confines of next-day task execution. Our study recognizes its limitations, including the relatively small number of users evaluated. This underscores the need for further user testing to validate our findings conclusively. Refining the agent system to accommodate diverse users presents an imminent challenge. This task necessitates a comprehensive design approach, ensuring that the system is inclusive and robust, effectively serving various user needs. By doing so, we aspire to provide a comprehensive solution to the widespread issue of procrastination, enhancing overall productivity and promoting improved mental well-being.
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Index Terms
- Personalized Agent-Based Procrastination Suppression System
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