Reoccurring Goal Monitoring Display Design: Effects on Completion Rates, Motivation, and Emo- tional Affect

Presenter : Molly Martini

Mentor : Sara Hodges

Reoccurring goals, such as exercising every other day, are important for health and work-life balance, yet seem to be quickly disre- garded as soon as other deadlines and daily stressors enter our lives. Given that information presentation affects how one processes and acts upon the information, could a different display design other than a standard weekly planner increase an individual’s chances of completing his or her goals? Specifically, could a visual object display lead to increased motivation and more goal completions com- pared to a text based display? Three different goal monitoring tools were created to answer this question: an Android app that shows goals as squares that visually stretch out as goal deadlines approach, another Android app that lists the goals and their deadlines by text, and a paper planner consisting of two calendar weeks. Participants were randomly assigned one of these three tools and asked to monitor their own reoccurring goals for two weeks, completing nightly questionnaires asking about motivation level, goal completion, and affect. It is predicted that the visual app will lead to more goal completions, higher motivation, and higher levels of both positive and negative affect compared to the two text conditions. Data analysis has yet to take place, but will be completed by May 16, 2013. Importantly, the study may suggest new ways in which display design can be utilized to help people achieve personal reoccurring goals.