Wake-Up Task: Understanding Users in Task-based Mobile Alarm App

Abstract

Popular alarm apps are offering task-based alarms that do not allow the user to dismiss an alarm unless they complete a specific task (e.g., solving math problems). Because such wake-up tasks cause discomforts, their usefulness and necessity could vary among individuals and their context. In this work, we aimed to understand the characteristics of Alarmy (task-based alarm app) users who (dis) likes wake-up task in terms of alarm set usage. We grouped 8,500 US users into three according to the proportion of the task selection and investigated group-wise usage differences. We found significant usage differences among the groups in terms of (1) set frequency, (2) set time, and (3) set consistency, possibly caused by consistent needs and task difficulty. The results suggest promising directions for inconvenient interaction and behavior change research.