Swati Rampalli

Within contexts of healthcare and human computer interaction, behavioral nudging has primarily been defined as a mechanism to alter a person’s behavior in a predictable way to promote self-reflection and awareness about healthier behaviors. This notion of nudging is derived from an understanding of cognitive biases, such as heuristics and taking the path of least resistance. However, most previous technology mediated nudging tools in this context have failed to emphasize accessibility and current design considerations don’t protect user autonomy. Additionally, most current HCI methods fail to emphasize social support mechanisms necessary for transitioning from acute care to long term recovery which have proved vital in traditional recovery practices. Especially within the context of addiction recovery settings where behavioral nudging hasn’t been previously addressed, this can be extremely detrimental and intrusive to users who may feel a lack of control over their recovery practices. This prompts the need for technological designs that will operate opportunistically so as to only assist with recovery and supplement existing practices rather than challenge them in order to protect user autonomy, minimize user burden, and focus on increasing peer connections. My thesis seeks to address the above limitations through the performance of a pilot study that assesses user burden of SponsorLens, a social support application designed for use by sponsors and sponsees in a Twelve Step community. The SponsorLens application contains numerous design requirements intended to increase frequency of contact between sponsors and sponsees, whilst ensuring it doesn’t entirely replace existing recovery mechanisms. This pilot study will simulate the SponsorLens app deployment prior to its introduction to recovering individuals in Twelve-Step communities.