Batching Notifications

Goal: Reduce smartphone distraction and improve well-being Evidence rating (PDN): Tentative When to use: Proactive

What it is

A method that groups smartphone notifications into scheduled batches, delivered at specific intervals, to reduce distractions and improve user well-being.

Intended impact

Batching aims to reduce interruptions caused by frequent notifications, allowing individuals to maintain focus and improve mental well-being by mitigating attention shifts and stress.

Evidence that it works

In a two-week randomized controlled trial conducted via a smartphone app, Fitz et al. (2019) found that batching notifications three times a day reduced stress and improved concentration. (Note: all effects we include are statistically significant, unless otherwise stated.) Participants who received notifications in batches felt more productive and more in control of their phones and reported a more positive mood compared to those who received notifications as they occurred. While many effects on general well-being were positive, the authors noted some variability in the impact depending on the specific outcome measured. For example, while there was a reduction in phone-related stress, there was no reported decrease in anxiety.

The findings in Fitz et al. (2019) are somewhat supported by a Meta study (2022) which randomly assigned a group of users to receive fewer, higher quality, notifications. That study first observed a short-term decrease in user activity among users with fewer notifications, but over time engagement increased. Such findings indicate that adopting a measured approach to notifications—favoring quality and relevance—can encourage users to maintain a more positive and balanced interaction with the app over time.

While the results in Fitz et al. (2019) are promising, the study focused on smartphone users in India, which may limit generalizability to other populations. The effects were also measured over a short two-week intervention period, raising the need for further research on long-term impacts.

In sum, the evidence suggests batching notifications can reduce stress and improve focus, but more research is needed to confirm effects across different populations and over longer periods.

Why it matters

With the increasing role of smartphones in daily life, the constant influx of notifications can negatively affect mental health by disrupting attention and increasing stress. By batching notifications, this intervention promotes a more focused, less interrupted experience, which can enhance user well-being and productivity, while also providing a balance between staying connected and maintaining mental health.

Special considerations

Examples

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This intervention entry currently lacks photographic evidence (screencaps, &c.)

Citations

• *Batching smartphone notifications can improve well-being.* — Fitz, N., Kushlev, K., Jagannathan, R., Lewis, T., Paliwal, D. and Ariely, D. (Computers in Human Behavior, December 1, 2019)
• *Notifications: why less is more — how Facebook has been increasing both user satisfaction and app usage by sending only a few notifications.* — Weijun C., Yan Q., Yuwen Z., Christina B., Akos L., Harivardan J. (Medium, December 19, 2022)

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From the Prosocial Design Network's Digital Intervention Library (https://www.prosocialdesign.org/library/batching-notifications), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Reformatted for the RT Commons; text otherwise as published. Library citation: Prosocial Design Network (2024), Digital Intervention Library, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/Q4RMB. Anything built from this pattern should credit the Prosocial Design Network and the researchers cited above.

Details

• goal: Reduce smartphone distraction and improve well-being
• citations: [object Object], [object Object]
• image alt: An icon showing a stack of batched notifications for a phone.
• image url: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/647f696dc653a97c26f42a0b/6761845a1ce31d47da0dccec_upvote%20copy%202%404x.webp
• pdn rating: Tentative
• when to use: Proactive
• pdn library doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/Q4RMB