"It Wouldn't Have Been So Apparent to Me": Evaluating How Thought-Level Progress Tracking Supports Psychosocial Goals

Overview & Synopsis

We pursue psychosocial goals every day, from coping with anxiety, to pursuing personal growth. While prior research has designed systems for tracking progress towards behavioral goals, fewer studies have focused on progress towards psychosocial goals - and the thinking changes people make to address them. As a first step, we present Thought-GPS, a system that visualizes potential markers of such thought-level progress in-the-moment as users interact with an AI-supported cognitive restructuring intervention. We evaluated Thought-GPS through a mixed-methods single-session study with 30 participants, comparing Thought-GPS with an active control condition without progress markers. We found preliminary evidence that participants using Thought-GPS reported greater clarity about how they might change to pursue their goals, stronger motivation to reflect on goal progress, and greater engagement in that reflection. Participants also reported that progress markers made subtle progress visible, helped them engage in deeper reflection, and connect conversational insights to their personal goals.