Interrupting Autopilot: Evaluating Sensory Interventions for Momentary Self-Regulation

Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA), pp. 1–6

Abstract

People have different temptations and habitual behaviors they wish to change, often imagining a better version of themselves. However, most existing behavior-change interventions rely on conscious self-regulation. Existing tools require users to notice a prompt, interpret it, and deliberately override an impulse, which is cognitively demanding and prone to failure when behavior becomes automatic. In this paper, we explore sensory interruptions as a way to bridge perception, cognition, and behavior. These interruptions aim to momentarily disrupt autopilot behavior and enable users to regain control. We evaluated four sensory interruptions: vibrotactile, heat, cold, and audio, with 11 participants. Our findings reveal clear subjective trade-offs: vibrotactile was often perceived as habituated, while heat was effective but generally disliked due to its punitive feel. Nevertheless, most interruptions produced a brief micro-pause that prompted participants to reconsider their behavior, highlighting the potential of physical modulation as a complementary approach to self-regulation.

Authors 7

1. Dinithi Dissanayake

   National University of Singapore

   Affiliation as printed

   Augmented Human Lab, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

2. Muftee Mysan

   National University of Singapore · University of Moratuwa

   Affiliation as printed

   Augmented Human Lab, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore and Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka

3. Y. Y. Luo Aachen Augmented Human Lab School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore

   National University of Singapore · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Augmented Human Lab, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

4. Timothy Antoni

   National University of Singapore

   Affiliation as printed

   Augmented Human Lab, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

5. Peter Cleveland

   National University of Singapore

   Affiliation as printed

   Augmented Human Lab, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

6. Prasanth Sasikumar

   National University of Singapore

   Affiliation as printed

   Augmented Human Lab, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

7. Suranga Chandima Nanayakkara

   National University of Singapore

   Affiliation as printed

   Augmented Human Lab, School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore