Habit-forming by design – an examination of TikTok's design elements that intentionally foster habit formation
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Date
2024-05
Department
University of Baltimore. Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences
Program
University of Baltimore. Master of Science in Interaction Design and Information Architecture
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This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by The University of Baltimore for non-commercial research and educational purposes.
Abstract
This research aims to determine whether TikTok is intentionally designed to be habit-forming. Prior research identifies TikTok as “addictive” but does not explain the reasons from a design standpoint. An analysis of TikTok’s design elements was performed, and 2 elements were selected for testing – variable content and endless scroll. Testing participants indicated their triggers for using TikTok and how they felt after using it; they completed a Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI) on scrolling TikTok; and they interacted with a prototype that was similar to TikTok without variable content or endless scrolling. Based on the analyses and test findings, this research demonstrates that TikTok is intentionally designed to be habit-forming.