What is the intended benefit for users trying to quit delivery apps?

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The Intended Benefit of Using FoodNeverComes to Quit Delivery Apps

The app FoodNeverComes aims to provide users with a way to satisfy the urge to order food without the financial or actual delivery consequences, thereby helping them break habits associated with compulsive or boredom-driven use of food delivery platforms. This is achieved by simulating the ordering process, tapping into the psychological anticipation of a reward.
Mimicking the Reward Cycle Without Consequence

FoodNeverComes replicates the user interface and experience of typical food delivery applications, allowing individuals to browse menus, customise orders, and go through the motions of selecting payment and delivery options. The core principle behind its design is rooted in the understanding of dopamine's role in the brain's reward system, where anticipation of a reward can trigger dopamine release as much as, if not more than, the actual receipt of the reward. By simulating the act of ordering, the app intends to fulfil the psychological craving or urge that often drives users to open delivery apps, particularly out of boredom or as a habit, without any actual transaction or delivery occurring.
Addressing Boredom and Habitual Usage

The developer, known as Malhee, conceived the app after observing their own tendency to repeatedly open and close delivery apps out of boredom. This reflects a common behaviour where individuals engage with these platforms not out of genuine hunger but as a way to fill time or as an ingrained habit. FoodNeverComes is specifically designed to interrupt this pattern, offering a digital outlet that simulates the engagement with delivery apps but is intended to be a "one-off" experience to break the cycle of habitual checking.
Potential as a Tool for Moderation

The app has sparked discussion about its utility in managing compulsive spending behaviours. Some users have drawn parallels between FoodNeverComes and non-alcoholic beverages for individuals in recovery from alcohol addiction, suggesting it can "scratch the itch" and serve as a helpful stepping stone. This perspective posits that by satisfying the immediate urge in a consequence-free manner, the app could potentially reduce the likelihood of users making actual, potentially unnecessary, purchases or engaging in disordered eating patterns driven by app usage.
Contrasting Views on Efficacy

However, the app's effectiveness as a tool for breaking habits or managing compulsive behaviour is debated. Critics and some users express scepticism, with some suggesting that the experience might be more frustrating than helpful, as the knowledge that nothing will actually arrive could lead to dissatisfaction. This highlights a divide in opinion regarding whether the app offers a genuine psychological benefit for habit modification or represents a form of escapism that does not address the underlying issues driving compulsive app usage.

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What is the intended benefit for users trying to quit delivery apps?

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