Boredom-Triggered Proactive Recommendations

We propose the concept of boredom-triggered proactive recommendations for mobile phones. Given that more and more services attempt to attract mobile phone users' attention via push notifications, attention in this context can be considered as an increasingly scarce resource. However, when people are bored, by definition, they seek stimuli and hence often turn to their mobile phones. We cite evidence from our most recent work that boredom can be inferred from patterns of mobile phone usage and that during inferred phases of boredom, people are more likely to engage with suggested content. Thus, using boredom as content-independent trigger might help to make proactive recommendations a more pleasant experience and, in consequence, more successful.