Intentional YouTube

A reflective interface design tool to help users regain intentional control over digital media consumption.

Deliberate YouTube – Mindful YouTube Browsing Stay in control of your YouTube experience. # Deliberate YouTube BRIEF usage guide: Set your intention before you watch Pick why you’re on YouTube right now; find something specific, learn, explore, or just relax. You can even write a quick goal, like “find a 10-minute cooking tutorial.” See if you’re staying on track A little score shows whether your behavior matches your intention. Search and watch one video? Nice. Fall into an algorithm loop to incessantly look for distractions (such as a series of sidebar recommendations)? It drifts down and the consequences linger. Get gentle check-ins: If you start drifting (And on a timer you can customize), the extension can pause the video and implore you to reflect on your decisions. It also checks in at the end of your session. Cut down the distractions: You can blur thumbnails, hide Shorts, hide recommendations, and stop autoplay. Your choice. Look back at your habits via a simple dashboard (IN SETTINGS) that shows how often you watch, what intentions you pick, and whether you usually feel good about it afterward. https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8d2b6ed6-e4ba-446c-808d-464e2372046e I want to help people avoid getting pulled into YouTube's recommendation algorithm. I don't think there's anything wrong with entertainment. In fact, YouTube is an incredible platform for learning and fun. However, I personally find its recommendation algorithm addictive to the point where it's easy to lose track of time and forget why I opened YouTube in the first place. FOR THE FORMS: EMAIL IS NOT COLLECTED TO PROTECT ANONYMITY The goal of this project is to see whether intention-aware interventions can help people stay aligned with the reason they opened YouTube in the first place. Deliberate YouTube is an intention-aware Chrome extension designed to help users become more mindful of how they use YouTube. ## Bug Reporting If you encounter a bug during testing, please include it in the Google Form. ## Instructions (For those interested in filling out forms responses, if you are not interested, the instructions are not particularly important) 1. Install the extension. 2. Before each session, choose the intent that best matches why you're opening YouTube. 3. Use YouTube naturally. 4. Don't intentionally try to maximize or minimize your alignment score (higher rating is considered better and a more mindful usage of YouTube). 5. Use the extension over multiple sessions. 6. Complete the Google Form after trying it out (optional, but useful). Some tips and potentially useful information: pressing the space bar if a video is playing during a popup pauses the video/advertisement. Pressing "trigger reflection" (which can be found at the bottom of the debug panel) allows you to change intent mode and end session (though if you forget, you will be met with a "Welcome Back" screen as a backup for the end session feature). Yes the reflection interval popup that appears early on in the session is intentional (it helps stop impulsively opening Youtube) Settings button is found on the bottom left region of the screen. To view your dashboard, open the Intentional Youtube Settings menu and at the bottom of the default screen, you can find a "View Dashboard" button. Forms: Bug report (only if you found bugs): [Bug Report Form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfN42RuoafJZqCXs-4QuxVq6VQ3L1DH0Dht7Rk6UXVXJlGR7w/viewform?usp=dialog) Main form (PLEASE complete if you tested it, ONCE AGAIN, EMAIL IS NOT COLLECTED FOR EITHER FORMS TO PROTECT ANONYMITY): [Main Form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScDIVFXXPiU77elzQ1Ugdti12gEryWSRmaSnx077aCEW9TZrQ/viewform?usp=dialog)