Understanding Information Workers' Sedentary Behavior Through a Desktop-Based Break Prompting System
Open Access
- Author:
- Luo, Yuhan
- Graduate Program:
- Information Sciences and Technology
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- June 09, 2017
- Committee Members:
- Eun Kyoung Choe, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Mary Beth Rosson, Committee Member
David E. Conroy, Committee Member - Keywords:
- Sedentary Behavior
Human-computer Interaction
Persuasive Technology
Health Informatics
Qualitative Study
Experience Sampling - Abstract:
- Prolonged sedentary behavior is detrimental to long-term health. However, sedentary lifestyle is ubiquitous among modern people, especially information workers. Although workers realize the harmfulness of prolonged sedentary behavior, it is not easy for them to change their behavior due to the nature of their work. In this thesis, I aim to inform the design of effective interventions that help information workers break prolonged sedentary behavior through an exploratory study with a desktop-based prompting system, Time for Break. With Time for Break, people can set their desired work duration, and receive the prompt of taking standing or moving breaks in-between. I conducted a three-week deployment study (N = 25) to collect participants’ work and break habit with Time for Break, and semi-structured interviews to understand their experience. Based on the quantitative and qualitative data collected, I identified the motivations of participants to take standing or moving breaks, as well as their work and break preferences. I found that participants’ self-regulation on taking standing or moving breaks were significantly increased, and they were more aware of their own sedentary behavior and work productivity throughout the study. Drawn from the results, it is important to consider the context around people such as their work schedule and office environment, for the purpose of delivering the prompt in an appropriate moment. Besides, I discuss design implications for future interventions that aim to break prolonged sedentary behavior, including allowing for flexible work and break setting, providing personal feedback and supporting multimodal notification.