Predicting the Quality of User Experiences to Improve Productivity and Wellness

Abstract

College students often struggle to balance their work with personal wellness. In part, this occurs because students work when they are unable to focus. We hypothesize that we can adapt the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to build a model of users’ efficacy and predict when they will be most likely to experience flow, a state of motivation and immersion. We also hypothesize that we can present this information effectively to users, allowing them to understand when they are most likely to achieve flow. In order to test these hypotheses, we introduce the Productivity and Wellness Pal (PaWPal), a smartphone-based application that seeks to make users aware of their efficacy at various tasks as well as which courses of action are likely to lead to immersive experiences.