Persuasive technology in the real world

TLDR

Persuasive technology aimed at motivating healthy behavior is a growing research area, and the rise of commercial wearable devices marks the first widespread adoption of ubiquitous persuasive technology. The study seeks to learn about the value and use of commercial wearable systems in real-world, long-term contexts and how practices evolve over time. We conducted a study with 30 participants who voluntarily adopted wearable activity trackers and continued using them for 3 to 54 months. The results reveal how benefits and practices surrounding wearable trackers evolve over long periods of use, offering design implications for personal informatics technologies that support long-term health and fitness.

Abstract

Persuasive technology to motivate healthy behavior is a growing area of research within HCI and ubiquitous computing. The emergence of commercial wearable devices for tracking health- and fitness-related activities arguably represents the first widespread adoption of dedicated ubiquitous persuasive technology. The recent ubiquity of commercial systems allows us to learn about their value and use in truly "in the wild" contexts and understand how practices evolve over long-term, naturalistic use. We present a study with 30 participants who had adopted wearable activity-tracking devices of their own volition and had continued to use them for between 3 and 54 months. The findings, which both support and contrast with those of previous research, paint a picture of the evolving benefits and practices surrounding these emerging technologies over long periods of use. They also serve as the basis for design implications for personal informatics technologies for long-term health and fitness support.