UbiFit
UbiFit is a mobile, persuasive technology that we developed in collaboration with Intel Labs Seattle to encourage individuals to self-monitor their physical activity and incorporate regular and varied activity into everyday life. It consists of three main components: (1) a glanceable display, (2) an interactive application, and (3) a fitness device. The glanceable display uses a stylized, aesthetic representation of physical activities and goal attainment (e.g., a garden) to keep individuals focused on the act of self-monitoring and their commitment to fitness. It resides on the background screen of an individual's mobile phone to provide a subtle reminder whenever and wherever the phone is used. The interactive application, which also resides on the mobile phone, includes detailed information about the individual's physical activities and a journal in which activities can be added, edited, and deleted. Finally, the fitness device (currently a separate device worn on the waistband above the hip, like a pedometer) automatically infers and transmits information about several types of activities -- walking, running, cycling, use of the elliptical trainer, and use of the stair machine -- to the glanceable display and interactive application.
UbiFit was evaluated with a survey involving respondents from 13 states across the U.S., followed by a 3-week field trial, and finally a 3-month field experiment that was conducted over the Winter 2007/8 Holiday Season. Among our key findings was that participants in the 3-month field experiment who had the glanceable display maintained their physical activity level over time and on holiday weeks, while the level of physical activity for participants who did not have the glanceable display dropped significantly.
People
Publications
- Using Mobile & Personal Sensing Technologies to Support Health Behavior Change in Everyday Life: Lessons Learned (2009)
- Designing for Behavior Change in Everyday Life (2009)
- Exploring Privacy Concerns about Personal Sensing (2009)
- Goal-Setting Considerations for Persuasive Technologies that Encourage Physical Activity (2009)
- Theory-Driven Design Strategies for Technologies that Support Behavior Change in Everyday Life (2009)
- Flowers or a Robot Army? Encouraging Awareness & Activity with Personal, Mobile Displays (2008)
- Activity Sensing in the Wild: A Field Trial of UbiFit Garden (2008)
- The Mobile Sensing Platform: An Embedded System for Capturing and Recognizing Human Activities (2008)
- MyExperience: A System for In Situ Tracing and Capturing of User Feedback on Mobile Phones (2007)
- Design Requirements for Technologies that Encourage Physical Activity (2006)

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