A chatbot in a to-do app cut putting things off, not overall time management

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   85 university students in South Korea who put things off a lot, about 20 years old on average; 37 were women. 47 got the chatbot and 38 used the app alone.

2. 02

   What they did

   Both groups used the same to-do app with alarms each morning and evening. They used it at least 3 to 4 times a week for a month. The chatbot group also chatted with a bot called Moa. It walked them through five steps of looking back on how they worked. Then it gave advice matched to their main reason for putting things off.

3. 03

   What happened

   After a month, overall time management improved in both groups by about the same amount. Students with the chatbot said they put things off less than the app-only group, but planning and other skills did not differ. Parts of the paper's tables are garbled, some numbers don't match, and the authors claim more than the results show.

What the study found

1. No differenceTime management

   Adding a chat bot coach to a to-do app didn't help people manage time better than the app alone.

   • Action: Learn how the problem workstested
   • Rule: With an automated digital coachtested
   • Rule: Use the method that fits youtested
   • Action: Track your progressused
   • Rule: Get a reminderused

   Small randomised trial of 85 Korean university students who put things off · vs the same to-do app without the chatbot · they rated themselves · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show; numbers unreliable

2. HelpedProcrastination

   Students who also chatted with a coaching chatbot put things off less than those who used the app alone.

   • Action: Learn how the problem workstested
   • Rule: With an automated digital coachtested
   • Rule: Use the method that fits youtested
   • Action: Track your progressused

   Small randomised trial of 85 Korean university students who put things off · vs the same to-do app without the chatbot · they rated themselves · ⚠ summary claims more than the results show; numbers unreliable

Source