{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/55187"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/55187","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Merry Miser","abstract":"This thesis describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of Merry Miser, a persuasive mobile phone application intended to help people to spend less and save more. The application uses the context provided by users' location (obtained using the phone's GPS) and financial histories to provide personalized interventions when the user is near an opportunity to spend. The interventions, which are motivated by prior research in positive psychology, persuasive technology and shopping psychology, consist of informational displays about context-relevant spending history, subjective assessments of purchases, personal spending limit contracts, and a glanceable display of the user's current financial status and savings goals. The application was tested with four users over a period of four weeks. The test results are described, and additional steps to improve the application are suggested.","abstract_html":"This thesis describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of Merry Miser, a persuasive mobile phone application intended to help people to spend less and save more. The application uses the context provided by users' location (obtained using the phone's GPS) and financial histories to provide personalized interventions when the user is near an opportunity to spend. The interventions, which are motivated by prior research in positive psychology, persuasive technology and shopping psychology, consist of informational displays about context-relevant spending history, subjective assessments of purchases, personal spending limit contracts, and a glanceable display of the user's current financial status and savings goals. The application was tested with four users over a period of four weeks. The test results are described, and additional steps to improve the application are suggested.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["DeTar, Charles (Charles Frederick)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Christopher Schmandt."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009","date_published":"2009","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:44Z","subjects":["Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55187","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Christopher Schmandt."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["DeTar, Charles (Charles Frederick)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2010-05-25T21:01:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2010-05-25T21:01:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2009"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55187"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2009.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-71)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of Merry Miser, a persuasive mobile phone application intended to help people to spend less and save more. The application uses the context provided by users' location (obtained using the phone's GPS) and financial histories to provide personalized interventions when the user is near an opportunity to spend. The interventions, which are motivated by prior research in positive psychology, persuasive technology and shopping psychology, consist of informational displays about context-relevant spending history, subjective assessments of purchases, personal spending limit contracts, and a glanceable display of the user's current financial status and savings goals. The application was tested with four users over a period of four weeks. The test results are described, and additional steps to improve the application are suggested."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Merry Miser"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Christopher Schmandt."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences."],"dc:contributor.other":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences."],"dc:creator":["DeTar, Charles (Charles Frederick)"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2010-05-25T21:01:38Z"],"dc:date.available":["2010-05-25T21:01:38Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2009"],"dc:description":["Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2009.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-71)."],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of Merry Miser, a persuasive mobile phone application intended to help people to spend less and save more. The application uses the context provided by users' location (obtained using the phone's GPS) and financial histories to provide personalized interventions when the user is near an opportunity to spend. The interventions, which are motivated by prior research in positive psychology, persuasive technology and shopping psychology, consist of informational displays about context-relevant spending history, subjective assessments of purchases, personal spending limit contracts, and a glanceable display of the user's current financial status and savings goals. The application was tested with four users over a period of four weeks. The test results are described, and additional steps to improve the application are suggested."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/55187"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences."],"dc:title":["Merry Miser"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:44Z"}