Murnane E, Jiang X, Kong A et al. (2020). Designing ambient narrative-based interfaces to reflect and motivate physical activity. ACM Digital Library. 2020 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), Honolulu, HI, April 25-30, 2020. 1-14. doi: 10.1145/3313831.3376478
Growing evidence suggests that the quantitative data representations (e.g. graphs, statistical reports) used in most fitness apps fail to motivate physical activity. WhoIsZuki, a novel smartphone app, uses data-driven narratives to encourage physical activity. The app visualizes end-user fitness data and goals on an ambient lockscreen and homescreen display that keeps end-users aware of fitness goals and progress throughout the day. Over the 13-chapter story arc of the app, alien protagonist Zuki voyages to Earth to search for his lost brother and collect biosamples for his dying homeplanet. Gryff, a government agent, attempts to catch Zuki for experimentation. The incremental progress of Zuki (e.g., climbing a mountain to escape Gryff) directly reflects the physical activity of the end-user (e.g., going for a run). Completion of all weekly goals unlocks the next chapter. WhoIsZuki uses the Google Fit platform to automatically detect walking, biking, and running and activity data from third-party fitness apps and wearable activity trackers. Informed by narratology and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) literature, the design process involved online surveys, in-lab studies, and field studies. In the third week of a three-week pilot study (n = 16), 75% of WhoIsZuki participants achieved 100% of their weekly fitness goals, while only 25% of participants who received a single-chapter version met 100% of their weekly fitness goals. WhoIsZuki also elicited strong user engagement. Future research could test the effectiveness of WhoIsZuki in motivating physical activity in a large-sample, longitudinal field study, and compare its efficacy with that of conventional fitness apps.