Chain Reactions: The Impact of Order on Microtask Chains

Microtasks are small units of work designed to be completed individually, eventually contributing to a larger goal. Although microtasks can be performed in isolation, in practice people often complete a chain of microtasks within a single session. Through a series of crowd-based studies, we look at how various microtasks can be chained together to improve efficiency and minimize mental demand, focusing on the writing domain. We find that participants completed low-complexity microtasks faster when they were preceded by the same type of microtask, whereas they found high-complexity microtasks less mentally demanding when preceded by microtasks on the same content. Furthermore, participants were faster at starting high-complexity microtasks after completing lower-complexity microtasks, but completion time and quality were not affected. These findings provide insight into how microtasks can be ordered to optimize transitions from one microtask to another.