Bridging the Gap Between Time Management Research and Task Management App Design: A Study on the Integration of Planning Fallacy Mitigation Strategies

Accurate time estimations are vital for meeting deadlines and reducing work-related stress, yet individuals frequently succumb to a wide-spread cognitive bias, the planning fallacy, resulting in poor time management. This research article reports on two studies aimed at addressing this challenge. First, through a review of the psychological literature, we identify four key strategies recommended by research for supporting accurate time estimations in daily tasks. These strategies serve as the foundation for the second study, where we conduct a functionality analysis of prevalent personal task management apps to investigate their alignment with the identified strategies. Our analysis reveals a significant disparity: while research-informed strategies are recommended, they are rarely implemented to a good standard in current apps. This discrepancy emphasizes the importance of addressing this gap between theory and practice. By highlighting the need for future efforts to focus on aiding workers in task duration estimation, this study identifies opportunities for improving the design of task management software to enhance user productivity and alleviate stress.