OneStepataTime:

Anexaminationofwearablefitnessdevicesusedfortrackingactivityand

consideringthemotivationalimpactfromtheiruse.

CarynChan

AResearchPapersubmittedtotheUniversityofDublin,inpartialfulfilmentofthe

requirementsforthedegreeofMasterofScienceInteractiveDigitalMedia

2017

i

Declarations:

IhavereadandIunderstandtheplagiarismprovisionsintheGeneralRegulationsofthe

UniversityCalendarforthecurrentyear,foundat:http://www.tcd.ie/calendar

IdeclarethattheworkdescribedinthisResearchPaperis,exceptwhereotherwisestated,

entirelymyownworkandhasnotbeensubmittedasanexerciseforadegreeatthisorany

otheruniversity.

Signed:_____________________________

CarynChan

11/05/2017

ii

Permissiontolendand/orcopy

IagreethatTrinityCollegeLibrarymaylendorcopythisResearchPaperuponrequest.

Signed:_____________________________

CarynChan

11/05/2017

iii

Acknowledgements

Iexpressmywarmthankstomysupervisor,GlennStrong,forhisguidance,dedicated

involvementandunderstandingthroughouttheentireprocess.Ithankmyparentswhose

endlessunwaveringsupportisatestamenttothemboth.Completingthisdissertation

requiredmorethanacademicsupport,andIhavemanygoodfriendstothankforlistening

and,attimes,havingtotoleratemeoverthepastmonths.Icannotbegintoexpressmy

gratitudeandappreciationfortheirfriendshipandsupport.

iv

Summary

Wearabledevicesfortrackingactivityaredesignedforefficiencyinreactiontodeveloping

technologiesandknowledge.Thispaperquestionshowthemicro-managementofphysical

activityhasimplicationsformotivationalhumanbehaviourandthemacro-issueofhealth

andfitness.

ThemethodologyofthisResearchPaperestablishesatheoreticalframeworkthrough

literaturereviewsdiscussingthemanagementofhealthandfitnessthroughactivityand

exercise;devicesandtechnologiesasatoolformeasurementandunderstanding;theiruse

andintegrationindailylifeasanextensionofthebody.Aqualitativesurveyandcritical

analysisofresultsfollowstoevaluatethefactorsbehindthetakeupandeffectivenessof

fitnesstrackers.

Thisresearchpaperexaminestherelationshipbetweenusersandwearabletechnologies.It

substantiatesthatuserattitudesandobjectiveintentionsoftendeterminethefitness

trackertheymayadopt,andfurthermore,areverymuchreflectedintheiractualuseof

certaindevices.Theresearchshowshowfitnesstrackersofferavarietyofmeansfrom

whichausercandrawmotivation–thatwhilestatisticsprovidedbyadevicemaybe

presentedasobjectivequantities,theuser’ssubjectiveviewofthemmaypromptthemto

engageinadditionalactivity.Thepaperconcludesthatfitnesstrackersaremorethansimply

justobjectivetrackingdevicesbutpowerfulmotivationaltoolsinpromotingphysicalactivity.

v

TableofContents

ListofFigures vi-viii

ResearchIntroduction 1

CHAPTERONE

1.1TheImportanceOfSelf-Knowledge 2

1.2ThePowerOfMeasurement 3

CHAPTERTWO

2.1MeasuringTechnologies 8

2.2CurrentManufacturersAndRelationshipWithAudienceAttitude 9

2.3PerceptionOfUsefulness 14

CHAPTERTHREE

3.1TheoreticalFrameworkAndResearchHypothesis 17

3.2Method–QualitativeSurveyDesign 18

3.3QuestionnaireResults-EvaluationAndCriticalAnalysis 19

3.3.1CategorisationOfParticipants 19

3.3.2IntentionsForUptake 23

3.3.3IntentionAndExpectationVersusRealOutcome 26

3.3.4MotivationalUse 28

3.3.5ReasonsForDiscontinuedUseOfAFitnessTracker 35

3.3.6CompetitionOrSharingAsAdditionalMotivation 37

3.4FutureDevelopment 43

3.5Conclusions 44

References 46

Appendix–GoogleFormssurvey 48

vi

ListofFigures

Figurea.WorldwideTop5WearableDeviceVendorsSharebyUnitShipments,2016Q4.

Figure1.Categorisationof68participantsbyworkoutfrequencyinanswertoquestion

‘Howmanytimesaweekwouldyousetasidetimetoworkout?’

Figure2.Countoffitnesstrackersbysamplegroupusers(68participants)

Figure3.Distributionoffitnesstrackersusedby‘casual’frequency(14participants),‘regular’

frequency(41participants)and‘intense’frequency(13participants).

Figure4.PercentageoffitnesstrackersusedbyMaleparticipants(23participants)&Female

participants(44participants)

Figure5.PercentageofactivityfrequencybyMaleparticipants(23participants)&Female

participants(44participants)

Figure6.Countof(68participants)intentionsforusingafitnesstracker(s)

Figure7.Percentagecomparisonofintendeduseacross‘casual’frequency(14participants),

‘regular’frequency(41participants)and‘intense’frequency(13participants).

Figure8.PercentageofFitbitusers(30total)‘intentioninpurchasingafitnesstracker(s)’

Figure9.CountofGarminusers(17total)‘intentioninpurchasingafitnesstracker(s)’

Figure10.Comparisonofinitialexpectationandactualuseinwhichcurrentusers(56

participants)utilisetheirfitnesstrackers.

Figure11.Categorisedusetrendoffitnesstrackerownerswithinoneyearofuse(22

respondents)

vii

Figure12.Categorisedusetrendoffitnesstrackerownersafteroneyearofuse(34

respondents)

Figure13.Countof(56participants)inresponsetostatement.

Figure14.Countof(33participants)incodedfree-textresponsetopreviousquestion.

Figure15.Countof(56participants)responsetostatement.

Figure16.Countof(56participants)responsetostatement.

Figure17.Countof(56participants)responsetostatements.

Figure18.Countof(56participants)responsetoquestion.

Figure19.Comparisonofdataanalysingwhetherparticipants(41participants)whostated

theyfelt‘encouraged’or‘stronglyencouraged’bytheirfitnesstrackerpartakeinadditional

activitytoreachstatistics.

Figure20.Comparisonofdataanalysingwhether‘encouraged’and‘stronglyencouraged’to

moveparticipants(41participants)indicatediftheychangedtheirbehaviour.

Figure21.Comparisonofdataanalysingwhether‘encouraged’and‘stronglyencouraged’

participants(41participants)indicatediftheychangedgoals.

Figure22.Ownershiptimeofrespondentswhofeltencouraged(41often&sometimes,15

never&rarely)bytheirfitnesstracker.

Figure23.Responseofparticipants(15)wholackedencouragementtomovebytheirdevice

Figure24.Timeframeoffitnesstrackerownership(12participants)beforediscontinueduse.

Figure25.Reasonsparticipants(8total)nolongerusetheirdeviceafter1yearormore.

viii

Figure26.Expectationandoutcomecomparisonofreasonsfordiscontinueduseofdevice.

Figure27.Percentageofdevicesownedby(19participants)whoansweredthey‘agree’and

(10participants)whoansweredthey‘stronglyagree’tostatement

Figure28.Countof(56participants)responsetoquestion.

Figure29.FitnessTrackercountof‘YES’participants(27total)&‘NO’participants(29total)

responsetosharing.

Figure30.Countofreasons(29participants)fornotsharingdata.

Figure31.Countofhowusers(27participants)categorisetheirsharinghabits.

Figure32.Fitnesstrackercomparisonbetween‘casual’and‘competitive’sharingofdata(33

participants).

Figure33.Reasonsforsharingofdata(27participants).

Figure34.Countofreasons(24participants)inresponsetonoticingdifferencesinactivity

fromengagingwithothers.

1

RESEARCHINTRODUCTION

Wearabledevicesfortrackingactivityaredesignedforefficiencyinreactiontodeveloping

technologiesandknowledge.Thispaperquestionshowthemicro-managementofphysical

activityhasimplicationsforhumanbehaviourandthemacro-issueofhealthandfitness.

Itwilldiscussthecurrentmarketclimateforwearabletechnologiesandtheirreach.

Itinvestigateshowbehaviouraltheoryisintegratedintowearabledevicestoproduce

motivationalfactorsinthephysicalexperienceofactivity.Indocumentingwearabledevices

asmeansoftrackinghumanbehaviour,itseekstoquestiontheroleofthedeviceas

containerandcalibrator,andcrucially,asaninstigatorofactivemovement.Theresearch

questionwillbeclarifiedoncethenecessarybackgroundhasbeendiscussed.

Thisresearchpaperexaminestherelationshipbetweenusersandwearabletechnologies

firstlythroughliteraryreviewsandobservations,andsecondlythroughqualitativesurveying

andcriticalcomparativeanalysis.

2

1.1THEIMPORTANCEOFSELF-KNOWLEDGE

Perhapswithoutevenknowing,variousdifferentincidentsinformanddictatemuchofwhat

weashumansdoonadailybasis.Whenconsidered,measurementsmakeupmorethanjust

themathematicsofthings,theyhaveapervasiveimpactonthecourseofourdailylives.

‘Wespendmuchtimeeachdaymeasuringthings:time(clocksandcalendars)…quantities

(lengths,volumes,weights),food(sizeofportions,recipes,calories,fatcontent)…health

(vitalsigns,labtests,cholesterol,bloodpressure,weight),sports(scores,battingaverages,

records)andhundredsofothermeasuresweusealmostdaily.’1Measurementsuniversally

constitutethingsthatformtheworldaroundusdowntothemakeupofourownbodies.

Activitydefinedis‘thestateofbeingactive;thequalityorconditionofbeinganagentorof

performinganactionoroperation;theexertionofenergy,force,orinfluence.’2

Formostpeoplethenotionofhealthandwellbeingisencapsulatedbythe‘soundnessof

body;thatconditioninwhichitsfunctionsaredulyandefficientlydischarged.’3Wecanhave

ourownperceptionofwellbeing,thatis,tofeelgoodwithinourbodies.Toanextentwe

knowwhatmakesourbodiestick,howeverwecannoteverquantifywhathappensbelow

theskinwithouttheuseofscientifictechnologyorcalibration.Measurementenhancesour

understanding–“ifyoucan’tmeasuresomething,youcan’tunderstandit.Ifyoucan’t

understandit,youcan’tcontrolit.Ifyoucan’tcontrolit,youcan’timproveit”.4Physicist

LordKelvinclaimedthatifyouareunabletomeasuresomething,yourunderstandingofitis

“meager”.Thatistosay,thatwhichyoumeasureisonlyareflectionoftheamountof

knowledgeyoupossessandnothingmore.

Withoutsomemeansofspecifiedobservationandcalculationwecanneverfullyunderstand

thephysiologicalandbiologicalchangesourbodiesarecontinuouslyundergoing.

1Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.10. 2"activity,n."(2016).OEDOnline,OxfordUniversityPress[online]Availableat:http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/1958?redirectedFrom=activity[AccessedFebruary28,2017].3"health,n."(2016)OEDOnline,OxfordUniversityPress[online]Availableat:http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/85020?rskey=sI8NUy&result=1(accessedFebruary28,2017).4Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.19.

3

Unmeasuredthingscannotbeeasilyreplicated,ormanaged,orappreciated.5Walter

Cannon’s(1932)conceptof‘homeostasis’states‘themaintenanceofadynamicallystable

statewithin…conditionsinthebody(e.g.asregardsbloodtemperature)byphysiological

processesthatacttocounteranydeparturefromthenormal.’6Someevaluationof

homeostasiswhenappliedtohealthandwellbeingimpliesaconditionofrelativestability.

Thereforeitcanbesaidthatmeasurementsaresorequiredinordertogaugethissortof

balanceofhealth.Inmostcaseswithsomeexception,thewaywemeasuresuccess

determinesthesuccesswewillachieve.

1.2THEPOWEROFMEASUREMENT

Protagoras,thegreatSophistphilosopherof5thcenturyB.C.E.,declaredthat‘Manisa

measureofallthings’.7

Asfarasmetaphorsgo:‘‘Measurementisthelock,feedbackisthekey.Withouttheir

interaction,youcannotopenthedoortoimprovement.’’8Basicmeasurementthrough

countingspecifically,intandemwithasteeringdeviceforanindividualconstitutesawayto

targetagoalandconsistentlyworktowardsit.Inorderforpeopletoengagewithsuch

guidelinesasthoseofferedbytheWorldHealthOrganisation,peoplerequiredevicestohelp

themdoso.Ashealthandfitnessremainsahottopicinthepresentday,themarketfor

monitorshelpingtotrackphysicalactivitygoalsandhealthylifestylevariablesisinevitably

growing.Themostusedoutputparameterfromthesemonitorsisthecumulativestepcount

overaday,weekandbeyond.Thisconvenientandsimplyquantifiableoutputmayseem

insignificant,yetifconstantlymaintainedandbetteryetimproveduponitcansupportan

individualinachievingtheirphysicalactivitygoalsandmaintainingahealthylifestyle.

Fortheaverageperson,understandingthesheercomplexityofthehumanbodyisnotof

majorconcern,yetwearestillinterestedinhowwecareforitthroughourlifestylechoices.

InamodificationoftheProtagoreanepigram,HerbertArthurKleinfurthercommented:5Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.11. 6"homoeostasis,n."(2016)OEDOnline,OxfordUniversityPress[online]Availableat:http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/88025?redirectedFrom=homeostasis[AccessedFebruary28,2017].7Klein,H.A.(1974)TheScienceofMeasurement:AHistoricalSurvey,NewYork:DoverPublications,pp.23.8Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.18.

4

“Manisameasurerofallthings.”9Measuringisincreasinglybecominghumantrait–toset

thatwithinthecontextofthispaper,wepresentlyfindourselvesinafirstworldobsessed

withcaloriesandcountingoftheiroutputandintakewithinourbodies.

Researchandextensivestudieshaveprovidedsubstantialevidencetosupportthe

importanceofhabitualphysicalactivityinmaintaininggoodhealthandpreventingchronic

disease.Acorrelatedunderstandingoftherelationshipbetweenhabitualphysicalactivity

andhealthmustbeestablishedinordertodefine‘anoptimalquantityofphysicalactivity

neededtoproduceimprovementsinhealth.’10Similarlyaccuratemethodsofphysicalactivity

assessmentarethereforeneeded.‘Atpresent,researchersencounterdifficultiesin

measuringhabitualphysicalactivitylevelsnoninvasivelyandaccurately.Tofurtherexplore

therelationshipbetweenphysicalactivityandhealth,amethodthatwouldaddressthese

issuesisrequired.’11

TheWorldHealthOrganisation(WHO,2010)andotherglobalinstitutionshavepublished

guidelinesthatrecognisethebenefitsofphysicalactivityforgeneralhealth.12WHOdraw

theirguidelinesfromconclusivescientificevidenceandvariousin-depthstudiesinthefield,

provingthatpeopleregularlyengagedwithphysicalactivity‘havehigherlevelsofhealth-

relatedfitness,alowerriskprofilefordevelopinganumberofdisablingmedicalconditions,

andlowerratesofvariouschronicnon-communicablediseasesthandopeoplewhoare

inactive.’13

Recommendedguidelinesstateinordertomaximisethehealthbenefitsofphysicalactivity

forthegeneralpopulation,activitiessuchasbriskwalkingorrunning,shouldbecarriedout

daily.14Aerobicactivity,alsocalledenduranceactivity,improvescardiorespiratoryfitness.A

combinationofaerobicandmuscularexercisemustbetakenup‘inordertoimprove

cardiorespiratoryandmuscularfitness,bonehealth,reducetheriskofNCDsand9Klein,H.A.(1974)TheScienceofMeasurement:AHistoricalSurvey,NewYork:DoverPublications,pp.23.10Strath,S.(2000)‘Evaluationofheartrateasamethodforassessingmoderateintensityphysicalactivity’,In:Medicine&ScienceinSports&Exercise,32(9),Suppl.,pp.S465.11Ibid.12O’Connell,S.,OLaighin,G.,&Quinlan,L.(2017)‘WhenaStepIsNotaStep!SpecificityAnalysisofFivePhysicalActivityMonitors’,PLoSONE[online],12(1):e0169616,doi:10.1371/journal,pone.0169616[Accessed27March2017],pp.2.13WorldHealthOrganization(2010)GlobalRecommendationsonPhysicalActivityforHealth,[online],Availableat:http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599979_eng.pdf?ua=1[Accessedon:27March2017],pp.26.14Ibid.,pp.20.

5

depression.’15Throughthiswebegintoestablishthatthespecificnatureofanactivity

directlycorrelatestosomeaspectofone’sphysicalandmentalhealth.

‘Measurementsystemscreatethebasisforeffectivemanagement’16–effective

measurementthereforedefinesatruevaluewhencarriedoutproperlyandaccurately.The

benefitsthatcomefromtheabilitytomeasurethingsinrelationtohealtharemanifold–

physicalactivityisnoexceptiontotherule.‘Changeonekeymeasurethatiscurrently

drivingthewrongbehavior’inorderfortoseeimprovement–thisconceptestablishes

groundforencouragingphysicalactivitybymeansofmeasurement.17

Somearguethatallmeasurementmustbespecificandaccurateinordertobetruly

effective.Thevalidityofobjectivemeasurementsfromfitnesstrackingdevicesremains

contestedduetomanystudiesbeinghighlyheterogeneous.Activitymonitorshavebeenless

accurateatslowwalkingspeedsandinformationaboutvalidatedactivitymonitorsinchronic

diseasepopulationsislacking.18Someoutputvariablesfromcommerciallyavailable

monitorsmaynotpossessabsolutevalidity.19Intermsofmeasuringactivity,studieshave

shown:‘Objectiveandsubjectivemeasuresofphysicalactivitygivequalitativelysimilar

resultsregardinggenderandagepatternsofactivity.However,adherencetophysical

activityrecommendationsaccordingtoaccelerometer-measuredactivityissubstantially

lowerthanaccordingtoself-report.’20Whileaccuracyintermsofmeasuredquantities

accountsfortheoptimaloutcome,thispapercontendsthataplaceexistsfor‘rough’

measurementstobeaseffectiveinmotivationalpractices.

15WorldHealthOrganization(2010)GlobalRecommendationsonPhysicalActivityforHealth,[online],Availableat:http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599979_eng.pdf?ua=1[Accessedon:27March2017],pp.26.16Reichheld,F.F.,&Teal,T.(1996).TheLoyaltyEffect:TheHiddenForceBehindGrowth,Profits,AndLastingValue.Boston,Mass:HarvardBusinessSchoolPress,pp.246.17Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.15-20. 18VanRemoortel,H.,Giavedoni,S.,Raste,Y.,Burtin,C.,Louvaris,Z.,Gimeno-Santos,E.,…Troosters,T.(2012).Validityofactivitymonitorsinhealthandchronicdisease:asystematicreview,In:TheInternationalJournalofBehavioralNutritionandPhysicalActivity,9(84).19Mahar,M.T.,Maeda,H.,Sung,H.,&Mahar,T.F.(2014).‘Accuracyofthenikefuelbandandfitbitoneactivitymonitors’,MedicineandScienceinSportsandExercise,46(5).20Troiano,R.,Berrigan,D.,Dodd,K.,Mâsse,L.,Tilert,T.,&McDowell,M.(2008)‘PhysicalActivityintheUnitedStatesMeasuredbyAccelerometer’,In:Medicine&ScienceinSports&Exercise,40(1),pp.181-187

6

Variousstudiesindicatethatfitnesstrackersdohoweverallowindividualstoaccurately

monitortheiractivityinordertoachievephysicalactivitygoals.21Peoplecanreadandtake

advantageofotherindicatorsthatmeasurementsprovide,whethertheyarespecificornot.

Measurablequantitieshavemanyfunctionswhenappliedtohealthandfitness,particularly

self-organisationandself-management–measurementfocusesattention;providesthebasis

forgoal-setting;increasesthevisibilityofperformance;clarifiesexpectations;enables

accountability;enhancesunderstanding,andpromotesconsistency.22

Whentheprincipleof‘effectivemanagement’ispracticeditproducesresultsthatcanbe

evaluated.TheguidelinesforphysicalactivityasdocumentedbytheWHOsupportthis

approach:‘aprogressiveincreaseinactivitytoeventuallyachievethetarget…is

recommended.Itisappropriatetostartwithsmalleramountsofphysicalactivityand

graduallyincreaseduration,frequencyandintensityovertime.’23Theincrementalincrease

ofaperson’smeasuredactivityovertimeconstitutesawaytoimprovetheirhealthand

fitness.Furthermore,theseimprovedmeasurementsfosteredbyanactivelifestyleleadsto

theconsistenteffectofachievingweightmaintenance.‘Accumulationofenergyexpenditure

duetophysicalactivityiswhatisimportanttoachievingenergybalance’24–thatistosay

thatconditionsinthebodymustbeseentobalanceinordertobeconsideredfitandwell.

‘Measurementtendstomakethingshappen;itistheantidotetoinertia’.Measurementhas

theinherentpowertomotivate.Whengivenmarkersorpointsofreference,thewillpower

ofapersontoimprovecanbeboostedwhentheycanquantifywhatittakestobetterthe

originalstate.Withoutmeasurablegoals,objectivetrackingcannotbetrulyachievedwhich

oftenleadstoalossofenthusiasmanddisengagementfromeffortstoimprove.People

favourthatwhichcanbemeasured–‘measurementreleasespowerfulmotivationalforces—

includinginitiative,prideinaccomplishment,peerpressure,andcompetitiveness.’25The

mostprominentexampleofmeasurementasamotivationalfunctionisexemplifiedbyany

21Tucker,W.,Bhammar,D.,Sawyer,B.,Buman,M.,&Gaesser,G.(2015)‘ValidityandreliabilityofNike + Fuelbandforestimatingphysicalactivityenergyexpenditure’,In:MedicineandScienceinSportsandExercise,7(14).22Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.15-20. 23WorldHealthOrganization(2010)GlobalRecommendationsonPhysicalActivityforHealth,[online],Availableat:http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241599979_eng.pdf?ua=1[Accessedon:27March2017],pp.18.24Ibid.,pp.25.25Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.20.

7

athlete’scompetitiveperformance–acontinueddedicationtosurpassandself-motivate

themselvestohigherlevelsofperformance.

Whilehigh-levelperformanceisnotoneveryone’sradar,theadvantagesofmeasuringbeing

abletofacilitatefeedbackandmotivateasconsequencestillapply.Measurementand

feedbackarecentraltotheWorldHealthOrganisationguidelinesaimedatimproving

generalhealthoftheglobalpopulation.InlinewiththeWHOrecommendations,many

individualsaimtoimproveontheirphysicalactivitylevelsbyreachingapersonalgoalorthe

recommendedobjectivegoalof10,000stepsperday.26Thecumulativeloggingofstepscan

becomeasimpleyetkeyfactorinthepromotionandmaintenanceofphysicalactivitylevels

andmentalwellbeing.27Theaccuracyandprecisionofsomedevicesmaybedebatedin

termsofobjectivetracking,howeverthesubjectivemotivationalaspectstoengagein

activityformedasaresultofusingafitnesstrackerinthefirstinstancemaywellhold

greaterweightinsucharguments.

26O’Connell,S.,OLaighin,G.,&Quinlan,L.(2017)‘WhenaStepIsNotaStep!SpecificityAnalysisofFivePhysicalActivityMonitors’,PLoSONE[online],12(1):e0169616,doi:10.1371/journal,pone.0169616[Accessed27March2017],pp.2.27Ibid.

8

2.1MEASURINGTECHNOLOGIES

AsLouisPasteursaid,‘‘Ascienceisasmatureasitsmeasurementtools.”28

Theuseofwearablefitnesstrackers,justoneofthelatestdevelopmentsintheevolutionof

informationtechnology,providesmeansforindividualsinthegeneralpopulationtotrack

physicalactivity.Asmeasuringtechniquetoolstheyprovide‘themostusefulbridgebetween

theeverydayworldsofthelaymanandofthespecialistsinscience.’29

AtthemostbasiclevelpedometersandHeartRatemonitoringpiecesoftechnologyare

devicesthatare‘relativelylowcost,noninvasive,andabletogiveinformationonthepattern

ofphysicalactivity.’Byusingwearabletechnologiestheygiveusersquantifiablefiguresand

thereforeinsightsintohowtheirbodyworks.‘Fitnesstracking’asaconceptmeasuresa

person’sperformanceandstatisticsthroughusualactivitiesduringthecourseoftheday.

Basicstatisticsmeasuredbysimpledevicesmaybethingslikestepstaken,heartrate,

caloriesburnedwhilecomplextechnologiesmaygofurtherintotemperaturemonitoring,

stresslevelsandsleepingstates.Togetherthearrayofinformationcollectedbythetracker

paintsasomewhat-completepictureofaperson’shealth.

Withtheaforementionedcontextinmind,thelandscapeofwearablefitnesstracking

technologieshasgrownsignificantlyinthepastdecade.In2015therevenuefromtheglobal

healthcarewearabledevicesstoodat$5.1billionfortheyearandstateditfurthermore

‘expectsthattoincreaseto$18.9billionin2020.’30Thesteadilygrowingcasehasseenthe

InternationalDataCorporation(IDC)predicttheworldwidemarketforsmartwatchesand

otherwearablestoreachmorethan111millionunitsin2016,reflectinganincreaseof44%

comparedto2015.‘Morethaneightypercentofthesedeviceswillbewrist-worndevices-

28Spitzer,D.(2007) TransformingPerformanceMeasurement:RethinkingtheWayWeMeasureandDriveOrganizationalSuccess ,AmericanManagementAssociation:NewYork,pp.10. 29Klein,H.A.(1974)TheScienceofMeasurement:AHistoricalSurvey,NewYork:DoverPublications,pp.24.30O’Brien,C.(2016)‘Doeswearabletechnologydeservecleanbillofhealth?’In:TheIrishTimes[online],22September2016,Availableat:http://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/does-wearable-technology-deserve-clean-bill-of-health-1.2798460[Accessed8March2017]

9

smartwristbands.’31Itisnocoincidencethatmajorplatforms,notablyAppleWatchOSand

AndroidWear,havepivotedtowardsfitnessandhealthapplications.32

2.2CURRENTMANUFACTURERSANDRELATIONSHIPWITHAUDIENCEATTITUDE

Thissectionreviewsthestateofthecurrentfitnesswearablesmarketinordertoestablish

contextforfuturediscussionofdevicesinthispaper.

Thecurrentclimateforwearableshasreachedanewall-timehighontheworldwidemarket

-‘shipmentsreached33.9millionunitsinthefourthquarterof2016(4Q16),growing16.9%

yearoveryear.’33Ofthatfigurefor2016,85%wasaccountedforby‘basicwearables’,

primarilycomprisedoffitnessbands.34Whiletheendquarterof2016appearedtoshow

laggingsalesinwearables,aburstofnewvendorsenteredthemarketandprevious

championsrefreshingtheirproductlineupshelpedsalvagedthefortunesoftheyear.35

Despitetheshiftinchangingdevelopmentsbeingmade,theregularleadingmanufacturers

remainedstrong.Inthissectionwewillestablishthemainplayersinthemarket,examine

thecompetitionthatexists,andfurthermoreconsiderthedirectionfitnesswearablesare

movingtowards.

Fitbitcontinuestoholdthemarketleadforwearablesandhascontinuedtogrow,owning

thegreatestshareofthefitnesswearablesmarketwithapproximatelyaquarterofitto

date.36Havingbeenestablishedsince2007,thevendorhasanextensivelistofproductswith

theintention‘tocreateawearableproductthatwouldchangethewaywemove’.37Fitbit’s

31Chuah,W.(2016)‘Wearabletechnologies:Theroleofusefulnessandvisibilityinsmartwatchadoption’,In:ComputersinHumanBehavior,65,pp.276.32Hunt,G.(2017)‘Fitnessandhealthtoolsdrivingwearablemarkettorecordlevels’,Siliconrepublic[online],Availableat:https://www.siliconrepublic.com/companies/wearables-fitbit-apple-fitness-tracker[Accessed8March2017].33InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42342317[Accessed11Apr.2017].34InternationalDataCorporation,(2016).FitnessTrackersintheLeadasWearablesMarketGrows3.1%intheThirdQuarter,AccordingtoIDC[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41996116[Accessed11Apr.2017].35InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC,Ibid.36InternationalDataCorporation,(2016).FitnessTrackersintheLeadasWearablesMarketGrows3.1%intheThirdQuarter,AccordingtoIDC,Ibid.37Odih,P.(2016)AdsensoryFinancialisation,NewcastleuponTyne,UK:CambridgeScholarsPublishing,pp107.

10

dominanceasaproduceroffitnesswearablesismostlyunrivalled,yetrecentlychallengers

haveshiftedtheirfocusinattempttotakeabiteofFitbit’smarketshare.Thebrandhas

grownsteadilyacrosstheworldhowevertheypresentlyfaceadeclineintheU.S.market

duetotheoversaturationofsimilarlow-costfitnesstrackingproducts.38

TheapproachabledesignandvastrangeofFitbitdevicesappealtothegeneralmasseswith

theintentiontotracktheiractivitysomeway.Fitbitdevicestelltheiruserswhattheyare

doingareinasimplifiedengagingmanner,theinformationeasytodiscernandseemlessly

integratedintoeachuser’sdailylifestyle.Theirmarketingstrategyprovestobethemost

populargarneringthemostsocialmediaengagement,creatingasolidimageamongst

consumers.39TheresultofFitbit’sclear,concise,encouragingandmotivationalbranding

capturesthepotentialcasualuserswithvariedintentionswhilesimilarlyappealingtothose

withastrongsenseofbrandawareness.

Asasimilarheavy-weightcompetitor,Applehasenteredthefitnesstrackingmarketwith

theirownline.RamonT.Llamas,theresearchmanagerforIDC'sWearablesteam

commentedthat‘FitbitandApplebothenjoyawarmreceptionintheU.S.wearables

market’.40Appleusersseemtodemonstrateahigh‘brandattitudeorloyalty’anddosoin

theiruptakeofAppleproducts41–theAppleWatchacquiressuchauserbasedthroughthis

trend.Thatbeingsaid,usershavebeensimilarlydrawntotheirfitnesstrackingendeavours

–‘Appleisoneofthefewcompaniesthathasbeenabletoquicklyrefocusitswatchtogain

tractionintheconsumermarketandhasalsobeenleadingthechargeonintroducingthe

smartwatchcategorytothecommercialsegment.’42

38InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42342317[Accessed11Apr.2017].39Pinto,M.,&Yagnik,A.(2016)‘FitforLife:AContentAnalysisofFitnessTrackerBrandsUseofFacebookinSocialMediaMarketing’,In:SocietyForMarketingAdvancesProceedings[serialonline],November2016,pp.486-487.Availablefrom:BusinessSourceComplete,Ipswich,MA.AccessedMay8,2017.40InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).SatisfactionwithWearableDevices,2016.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42303117[Accessed11Apr.2017].41Chuah,W.(2016)‘Wearabletechnologies:Theroleofusefulnessandvisibilityinsmartwatchadoption’,In:ComputersinHumanBehavior,65,pp.282.42InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC,Ibid.

11

Thelatestgenerationwatcheslaunchedtowardstheendof2016provedtobea

commerciallysavvymoveandresultedintheirmostsuccessfulsalesquartertodate.43Their

improvedsuccesscomesoffthebackofaddressingconsumerconcernsregardingthe‘aging

lineupandanunintuitiveuserinterface’.Thoughbothissueshavebeenconsideredwiththe

latestgenerationwatches,Apple'ssuccesswilllikelybemutedasthesmartwatchcategory

continuestobechallenged.44ThelowerentrypricepointandtheinclusionofGPS

functionalityalongwithacompletelyrevampeduserinterfacehavehelpedthecompany

growitspresence.45

Brandawarenessplaysasignificantroleinthewearablesmarket,afactorthatIDC’sLlamas

appreciatesgiventhepopularityofFitbitandApple;‘theyarenottheonlyonesas

companieslikeGarminandSamsunghavegainedtheirownrespectivefollowings’.46Garmin

andSamsungtakeuptwootherpositionsinthetop5standingsforfitnesswearables.

Garminitselfengagesintargetinguserswiththeirsocialmediapresencebeingmoreactive

andfrequentthanthatofFitbitonline.47

IncontrasttoFitbit’sone-sizefitsallapproachwhichmissesanopportunitytotarget

differentkindsofspecificusers,theaudiencethatGarminattractsareaveryfocusedand

dedicatedfitnessfollowing.Thishastranslatedwellwiththecompanyencouragingusersto

graduatefromsimplerfitnesstrackerstomorecomplexandpriciertrackingwatchesthat

theynowoffer.AttheCES2017show,GarminannouncedtheirnewFenix5withpromise

thatanewsmallersizewouldhelpthedeviceappealtoabroaderaudience.48

43InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42342317[Accessed11Apr.2017].44InternationalDataCorporation,(2016).FitnessTrackersintheLeadasWearablesMarketGrows3.1%intheThirdQuarter,AccordingtoIDC[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41996116[Accessed11Apr.2017].45InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC,Ibid.46InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).SatisfactionwithWearableDevices,2016.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42303117[Accessed11Apr.2017].47Pinto,M.,&Yagnik,A.(2016)‘FitforLife:AContentAnalysisofFitnessTrackerBrandsUseofFacebookinSocialMediaMarketing’,In:SocietyForMarketingAdvancesProceedings[serialonline],November2016,pp.486-487.Availablefrom:BusinessSourceComplete,Ipswich,MA.AccessedMay8,2017.48InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC,Ibid.

12

MeanwhileSamsungcontinuestooffercompetitionaroundtheglobebeyondsmartphone

technology.ThankstobundlesofferedwiththeirNote7andotherSamsungsmartphones

theycontinuedtobeabletomovelargevolumesoftheirlatestwearablesfor2016.49

Roundingoutthetop5wearablestandingsisChina’selectronicscompanyXiaomi.Forthe

2016year,Xiaomi'srelentlessgrowth(15.2%ofmarketshare)helpedtoclosethegap

betweenitandFitbit(19.2%ofmarketshare)asthetopvendor.50Likeitsotherproduct

lines,thecompanyhasstuckwithalow-coststrategyandhasslowlytriedtoveerupstream

intermsofpricingbyintroducingnewdeviceswithheartratemonitoringandamildly

highersellingprice.However,Xiaomistilllackstheexpertiseandbrandrecognitionto

expandbeyonditsnativebordersinChina.51

Figurea.WorldwideTop5WearableDeviceVendorsSharebyUnitShipments,2016Q4.52

Beyondthefivemanufacturerslistedabove,40%oftherestofthemarketiscomprisedof

othercomplexandbasicwearables–‘Onaverage,threeinfourwearabledevicesshipped

49InternationalDataCorporation,(2016).FitnessTrackersintheLeadasWearablesMarketGrows3.1%intheThirdQuarter,AccordingtoIDC[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41996116[Accessed11Apr.2017].50InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42342317[Accessed11Apr.2017].51Ibid.52Ibid.

13

werebasic,whileoneinfourwassmart(i.e.,withabilitytorunthird-partyprograms).‘53

Onethingforcertainisthatthetechnologymarketischangingandevolving.Thelines

betweenfitnesstrackersandsmartwearablesarecontinuouslybeingblurred.‘Basic

wearablesstartedoutassingle-purposedevicestrackingfootstepsandaremorphinginto

multi-purposewearabledevices,fusingtogethermultiplehealthandfitnesscapabilitiesand

smartphonenotifications.’54Themainpointofdistinctionappearstobedeterminedby

softwarefunctionality.

Regardlessofthisdistinction,afiercelycompetitivemarketnowexistsascompaniesare

foundvyingforpotentialorexistingconsumers,forbetterorworse–‘Thishasledsome

companiestodevelopdevicesthatbehavemorelikesmartphoneswhileothershavequietly

shuttheirdoors.’55The2016slowdowninthemarketindicated‘anincreasinglyfickle

marketplacelookingforfurtherfunctionalitybeyondwhatithasseenthusfar’.56As

mentionedbefore,thereleaseofnewdevicestowardstheendoftheyearpromptedasurge

andindicatednewdirectionsthatwearablesarelikelytotakefor2017–‘cellular

connectivity,closerattentiontodesign,watchesthatactuallylooklikewatches,andan

emphasisonthird-partyapplicationsbegantotakerootduringtheyear,pointingto

continueddevelopment.Thesewillhelpshoreuptheuserbaseofwearableswhileadding

newusersgoingforward.’57

Despitenewvendorsenteringthemarketbringingstrengthsfromotherindustries,

accordingtoIDCthemainsourceofmarketgrowthappearstobedrivenbyvendorpush

ratherthanconsumerdemand.58Thoughwearablesareexpectedtomaintain‘apositive

outlook’,nomanufacturerhasreasontofeelcompletelysecure,astherearestillan

53InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42342317[Accessed11Apr.2017].54Ibid.55InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).U.S.WearablesMarketShares,2016:FitbitKeepsGrip[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42352317[Accessed11Apr.2017].56InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WorldwideWearablesMarketShares,2016:FitbitRetainsLeadership.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42352217[Accessed11Apr.2017].57InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).U.S.WearablesMarketShares,2016:FitbitKeepsGrip,Ibid.58InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC,Ibid.

14

outstandingpercentageofusersthatareeither‘neutralordissatisfiedwiththeir

experience’.59

IDCdoeshoweverreport‘highsatisfactionforhealthandfitness’wearablesandhighlights

thecontinuedpotentialtheyholdwithinthemarket.‘Healthandfitnesshaslongbeenthe

keyvaluepropositionformostwearabledevices,soit'sagoodsignthatthisrankedhighest

intermsofuser-respondentsatisfaction’.60Inareflectionofthepastyearandmoving

forward,theIDCcommentedthat‘moremeaningfulhealthandfitnessinsightsallsowed

theirseedsin2016,andin2017weshouldalsoseethembearfruit.Thiswillhelpshoreup

thebaseofwearabledeviceusersandenticethosewhohavebeenconsidering,buthavenot

yetpurchased,awearabledevice.’61

2.4PERCEPTIONOFUSEFULNESS

Fitnesstrackershavemovedintoarealmwheretheyarenolongerjustsolitarysingle-use

deviceswiththepurposeofobjectivetracking.Theirperceivedusefulnessandvisibilitycan

beseentodictatetheiradoptionbypeopleyetquestionsremainastowhatfactorsprompt

suchadoptionbehaviour.Traditionaltechnologyacceptancemodelsconsiderfactorssuchas

‘user-friendliness(‘easeofuse’)andutilitarianbenefits(‘perceivedusefulness’)[as]core

determinants.’Asawaytocategorisethisnewgrowingfitnesstrackingtechnologyfor

consumers,technologyacceptancetheoriesviewthemandothersmartwatchesassmaller

compactversionsofexistingtechnologiessuchasorganisersorsmartphones.62

Consideringwherethesetechnologiesbeganfrom:‘functioningandvisibilityofatraditional

watch[could]alsopositionitasaluxurygood(Carlson,2015)–ratherthanhidinga

technology,technologyandfashionmergetobecomeaprominentpartofauser'sself.’63

Newmanufacturersandexistingfashioniconsaretappingintothe‘fashionvisibility’nicheof

themarketinanattempttogaintraction.JiteshUbraniseniorresearchanalystforIDC

59InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).SatisfactionwithWearableDevices,2016.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42303117[Accessed11Apr.2017].60Ibid.61InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WorldwideWearablesMarketShares,2016:FitbitRetainsLeadership.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42352217[Accessed11Apr.2017].62Chuah,W.(2016)‘Wearabletechnologies:Theroleofusefulnessandvisibilityinsmartwatchadoption’,In:ComputersinHumanBehavior,65,pp.277.63Ibid.,pp.276.

15

MobileDeviceTrackersstated:"Asthetechnologydisappearsintothebackground,hybrid

watchesandotherfashionaccessorieswithfitnesstrackingarestartingtogaintraction.This

presentsanopportunitytosellmultiplewearablestoasingleconsumerundertheguiseof

'fashion’…ithelpsbuildanecosystemandhelpsvendorsprovideconsumerswithactionable

insightsthankstothelargeamountsofdatacollectedbehindthescenes."64

Incontrasttofunctionality,thepopularityofwrist-worntrackerscanalsobemeasuredby

theirvisibilityasafashionaccessory.Mostmoderndevices‘includeafashionanda

technologycomponent;theyneedtofulfillfunctional,hedonic,andevensocialneedsoftheir

targetgroups.’65Regardlessofwhatadditionalaspectsorfeaturestheyinclude,theprimary

functionofafitnesstrackershouldbetoquantifysomestateofausers’healthandfitness.

Manymethodshaveattemptedtounderstandtheuptakeofnewtechnologiesintheever-

changingdigitalworld.TheTechnologyAcceptanceModel(TAM)offersacommonwayto

studyauser’sadoptionofthecommunicationofinformationandnewtechnologiesbased

onthetheoryofreasonedaction.Themethoditselfissignificantlyrootedinbehavioural

psychology(Ajzen&Fishbein,1980).Asthoroughlydiscussedintheprevioussection,the

purposeofTAMistoassesssomethinginameasurablemanner–inthiscontext,itmeansto

quantify‘perceivedusefulness’whichinturninfluencesusageintention.66‘Perceived

usefulness’isconstruedas“theextenttowhichapersonbelievesthatusingparticular

technologywillenhancehis/herjobperformance”(Davis,1989,p.320).Thus,froma

motivationperspective,perceivedusefulnessisameasureofauser'slevelofextrinsic

motivationandoutcomeexpectancy’.67

Numeroustechnologicaladvancementshaveenabledfitnesswearables‘tostoreinformation

overaperiodofdaysorweeks,thusprovidingdataonvariouscomponentsofphysical

cctivity,includingfrequency,intensityandduration.’68Thepotentialbenefitsinwhatthese

fitnesswearablesofferareclearintermsoftheirabilitytogatherinformationtomonitor

64InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42342317[Accessed11Apr.2017].65Chuah,W.(2016)‘Wearabletechnologies:Theroleofusefulnessandvisibilityinsmartwatchadoption’,In:ComputersinHumanBehavior,65,pp.282.66Ibid.,pp.277.67Strath,S.(2000)‘Evaluationofheartrateasamethodforassessingmoderateintensityphysicalactivity’,In:Medicine&ScienceinSports&Exercise,32(9),Suppl.,pp.S465.68Ibid.

16

healthvariables.Inadditiontotheirfunctionalcapabilities,theircommercialviabilityas

fashionabletechnologiesfurthermoreincreasesthemarketfortheirtargetaudience.

Varyingincost,complexityandfunctionalityindesign,wearablefitnesstracking

technologieshavegeneratedanewwayofpromotinghealthylifestylesacrossdiverse

groupsandpopulations.Yet,forthesedevicestoreachtheirfullpotentialinfacilitating

positivehealthbehaviourchanges,theymustsupportexistingevidence-basedlifestyle

interventionsonbothashortandlong-termbasis.69

Withrespecttothebenefitsoutlinedabove,thispaperarguesthatitisperhapsthe

motivationalaspectsthatfitnesstrackershaveinimpactinghumanbehaviourthatmake

themmosteffectiveandvaluable.Beyondtheobjectivemeasurementsandcontinued

calibrationofinformation,itistherelationshipthatapersonfosterswiththeirdevicethatis

ofprimeimportance.Usersdemonstrateaparticularattitudeandintentionwhichappears

tobereflectedthroughtheiruseofdevice,theyshapetheirownmotivationswhich

manifestasasubjectiveresponse.

Thepurposeofthisresearchpaperisthereforetoinvestigateandcriticallyevaluatetheuse

ofthesewearablefitnesstrackers.‘Itisreportedthat40to65%ofindividualsdropoutofa

physicalactivityprogramwithin3–6months.Physicalactivityisacomplexbehaviour

associatedwithmultiplecorrelateswhichpromoteadherence.’70Thequestionbeingaskedis

whethercurrentdayfitnesstrackersarebeingusedmorethanjustforobjectivetracking.It

seekstoaskiffitnesstrackersencourageself-improvementandgeneratemotivationinusers

tobeactive,bothinordertodrivepeopletowardshealthiermoreactivelifestyles.

69Naslund,A.,Aschbrenner,K.,andBartels,S.(2016)‘Wearabledevicesandmobiletechnologiesforsupportingbehavioralweightlossamongpeoplewithseriousmentalillness’,In:MentalHealthandPhysicalActivity,vol.10,pp.11.70Monedero,J.Lyons,E.&O’GormanD.(2015)‘InteractiveVideoGameCyclingLeadstoHigherEnergyExpenditureandIsMoreEnjoyablethanConventionalExerciseinAdults’,In:PLoSONE10(3):e0118470,pp.1.

17

3.1THEORETICALFRAMEWORKANDRESEARCHHYPOTHESIS

Asdiscussed,thereexistsasignificantmarketforvendorsofvariousfitnesswearables.The

successofthemarketinherentlydependsontheinterestofconsumersintheproductsthey

offer.Reasonsforinterestandinvestmentthereforedependonconsumernotionsof

perceivedusefulness–physicalfunctionalityandmotivationalpurpose,whilesimilarly

tappingintoaspectsof“fashionability”andattitudetowardstheadoptiveuseoftechnology.

ThemethodologyofthisResearchPaperhasestablishedthetheoreticalframeworkthrough

literaturereviewsdiscussingmanaginghealthandfitnessthroughactivityandexercise;

devicesandtechnologiesasatoolforunderstandingthebody;theiruseandintegrationin

dailylifeasanextensionofthebody.Theresearchanalysisfollowsbyexaminingthefactors

behindthetakeupandeffectivenessoffitnesstrackers.

Forthepurposeofthisresearchpiecea‘fitnesstracker’isdefinedasanywearabledeviceto

bewornonthewristthatisspecificallydesignedtotrackandmonitoraperson’smovement,

dailyactivities,andvitalstatisticsinrelationtohealthandfitness.

TheaimofthisResearchPaperistogaugewhethertheintentionsintheuptakeoffitness

trackersaretrulyinlinewiththepurposeofobjectivetrackingtheyaremadefor.Themes

describedinthepreviouschapterswillguidethediscussionandprovidetheframeworkfor

evaluation.Whiletheoutputsgivenbyfitnesstrackersareofmeasurablequantitiesin

relationtoaspectsofhealthandfitness,thisresearchpaperalsointendstoevaluatehow

peopleusetheirdevices,interpretinformationtrackedforthemandfindmotivationasa

result–theoutcomeexpectstoillustratewhatmotivatespeopletousesuchdevicesand

how.Thispaperintendstoprovethatfitnesstrackersaremorethansimplyjustobjective

trackingdevicesbutpowerfulmotivationaltoolsinpromotingphysicalactivity.

18

3.2METHOD–QUALITATIVESURVEYDESIGN

AsurveywasadministeredonlinethroughGoogleFormstocapturetheviewsofaportionof

thegeneralpopulationwithexperienceofusingafitnesstrackerandwhoareengagedwith

healthandfitness.Thespecificpurposeofthequestionnairewastocollectvarying

contemporaryviewstobeevaluatedinthebackgroundtheoryofthispaper.Aqualitative

approachwastakentobethesubjectivelenstoanswertheresearchquestionandpursue

datarelatedtothosewithexperienceofusingfitnesstrackers.

Thequestionnairebeganwithabriefdescriptionoftheresearchprojectpurpose(‘An

examinationintotheusageoffitnesstrackersbythegeneralpopulation’)andguaranteed

anonymityforallparticipantswillingtotakepart.Followingtheexplanation,definitionof

whatafitnesstrackerisforthisresearchpaperwasadded.

Theprimaryresearchquestionrevolvesaroundwhatarewearablefitnesstracking

technologiesdoingforpeopleusingthem.Questionsaskedweredevisedtobothpotentially

confirmtrendsestablishedinthetheoreticalframeworkofthispaperandtorecognise

emergentandexploratorystrandswithincontext. Byconsideringactivityastheprimary

contextoftheiruseinordertoassessthevalueofsuchdevicesineverydaylife,thesurvey

wasdesignedtoaskquestionsaroundthefollowingthemes:

- Whatattitudesandintentionsinitiallymotivativeorinfluenceanindividualtoadopt

afitnesstracker?Whatattitudesdoownersofparticularfitnesstrackers

demonstrateandaretheyreflectedthroughhowtheyusethedevice?

- Whataspectsoffitnesstrackersaretheyutilisinginreferencefunctionalityand

how?Aretheybeingusedasoriginallyintended;ifnot,howso?Whatconclusions

canbedrawnrelatingtohumanbehaviourasaresult?

- Howdopeoplerespondtoordrawmotivationfromtheirfitnesstrackers?What

impact(ifany)doesanelement(s)ofcompetitionhaveonencouragingendeavours

towardsbetterhealthandwellbeing?Aretherecasesofpeopleusingorintegrating

theiruseinsuchaway?

19

3.3QUESTIONNAIRERESULTS-EVALUATIONANDCRITICALANALYSIS

Preparingthecollecteddatabeganbyaddressinganyanswerstoopen-endedfreetext

questions.Thisrequiredcodingtoestablishcertainparameterssuchasparticipantprofiles,

quantitiesrelatingtodevicesownedorthesimilarityofanswersregardingsingularthemes.

Theparticipantswereofasamplingofthoseinterestedintheirhealthandfitness,meaning

theprobabilityofthemusingafitnesstrackerwasmorelikely.Ofthe68consenting

participantsthefollowingdataandfindingsareapplicable:

3.3.1CATEGORISATIONOFPARTICIPANTS

Thesubmitteddatarevealedthepopularityofspecificdevicesownedandusedbythe

samplegroup.68participantslistedthefitnesstrackerstheycurrentlyusedorhaveused.

Theparticipantswereseparatedintocategoriesdependentontheirstatedworkout

frequency,withresultsprovingtheactivenatureofthesamplegroup(Figure1).

Figure1.Categorisationof68participantsbyworkoutfrequencyinanswertoquestion‘Howmanytimesaweekwouldyousetasidetimetoworkout?’

Thiscategorisationrealisesthatthepopulationisnotuniformandthatitistherefore

sensibletobreakdowntheparticipantsintorelativegroups.Thepurposeistouse

‘frequency’asmeansofseparationandwillbefurthermoreusedtoguideevaluationsinthis

analysis.

20

Figure2.Countoffitnesstrackersbysamplegroupusers(68participants)

Muchinkeepingwiththecurrentmarketfigures,thevastpopularityofFitbitismostevident

with44%ofparticipantsstatingtheirownershipofaFitbitproductforfitnesstracking.A

Garmintrackerwasownedby25%ofthegroup,makingGarminthesecondmostpopular

brandinthecontextofthissurvey.Byobservingthenatureofthesamplegrouphavingbeen

basedinIreland,theChinesebrandXiaomionlyregisteredoneowner,provingthatXiaomi’s

prominencebeyondtheChinesemarketdoesindeedstillremainflat.

Itisalsosimilarlyinterestingtonotethatthemajorityofthoseparticipants,68tocount,

statedaknownbrandoffitnesstrackerindicatingtheacceptanceofthebrandsoperatingin

thewearablesmarket.Ofthosewholefttheoptionblank,onlyoneparticipantopenly

statedthattheyuseda‘genericdevicethatcalculatessteps,calories,andheartrate’.

21

Thedistributionoffitnesstrackerpercategoristationofworkoutfrequencyshowedthat

FitbitandGarminwerethemostdominantamongstthesurveyedgroup.

Figure3.Distributionoffitnesstrackersusedby‘casual’frequency(14participants),‘regular’frequency(41participants)and‘intense’frequency(13participants).

Thegroupscategorisedindicatedsomeparallelsbetweenworkoutfrequencyandacertain

device(Figure3).Thosecategorisedwitha‘Casual’attitudetoworkingoutshowedclear

preferenceforFitbitdevices,withthesametrendevidentwiththosecommittedtoa

‘Regular’workoutschedule.Garminpopularitycomestoplaybybeingusedby‘Regular’

participants,notablyrivallingFitbit’spopularityasthescaleofworkoutfrequencyincreases.

Amongst‘Intense’users,GarmintakestheleadaboveFitbitandotherthirdpartydevices.

Whilethesearenotdefinitiveresultsofuserhabits,itdoesmatchthetargetprofileofeach

vendor.Itcouldalternativelybeconcludedthat‘frequency’isnotindicativeofhowvigorous

aperson’strainingregimeisacrossaweeklyschedulewhentakingexertionandrecovery

intoaccount.

22

Figure4.PercentageoffitnesstrackersusedbyMaleparticipants(23participants)&Female

participants(44participants)

Male&femaleparticipantscorrespondinglyshowedapreferenceforparticularfitness

trackers.Fitbitdevicesagainranclearfavouriteamongstfemales(Figure4).Thedominant

presenceofFitbitinacommercialsensemayaccountforitspopularitywithwomenasit

offersavarietyofgeneralfeaturesfortrackingactivity.Incontrastthough,itwouldappear

thatmaleparticipantsshowaninclinationtowardsmorespecialiseddevices.Garmin

appearstohavethemajoritysharealongwithunnameddevices,indicatingamale

indifferencetowardscommercialpopularityinfavouroffunctionalityfirst.Furthermore

conclusionscouldbedrawnthatthereisaconnectionbetweengender,activityfrequency

andparticulardevices(Figure5).

Figure5.PercentageofactivityfrequencybyMaleparticipants(23participants)&Female

participants(44participants)

23

3.3.2INTENTIONSFORUPTAKE

Itisassumedthatthoseoptingtouseafitnesstrackerdosowiththeobjectivetotrack

someaspectoftheirlives.Activitytrackedvariesbetweendailyactivityandacutetrackingof

definedperiodsofphysicalexertion(ie.Workoutsandtraining).

Figure6.Countof(68participants)intentionsforusingafitnesstracker(s)

Muchinkeepingwiththetrendsillustratedintheopeningchapters,thesurveyresults

highlightedtheprimaryperceivedusesofafitnesstrackerasintendedtoquantifysome

formofactivity,bothgeneralanddefined.Theintentionsto‘trackdailyactivity’or‘monitor

workouts’faroutweightheotherusesofferedbythedevices.Thoseactivitiesdominatethe

varietyofusesthereforeprovingpeopleareindeedusingfitnesstrackersasintended.

Figure7.Percentagecomparisonofintendeduseacross‘casual’frequency(14participants),

‘regular’frequency(41participants)and‘intense’frequency(13participants).

24

AtrendiscorrespondinglyseenwhenconsideredbetweentheCasual,RegularandIntense

groupstoointermsoftheirintendeduse(Figure7).Theattitudeamongst‘Casual’usersfits

thebroadintentionoftrackingdailyactivity.Alongsidetrackingactivity,‘Regular’userstend

tofurtheradoptthespecificfunctionalityofmonitoringworkouts.Thosecategorisedas

‘Intense’usersdistinctlyshowapreciseintentiontomonitortheirworkoutswhilesimilarly

utilisingthesportswatchcapabilitiesfortimingactivities.

Thisdistinctionofintentionbetweenusersofacasualandconcentratedattitudeagainfits

thecharacteristicsparticulardeviceownersappeartoshow.Inkeepingwithanalysingthe

twobiggestplayersinthemarket,thesametraitsofFitbitandGarminuserscontrastone

anotherwhentheirinitialintentionsarecomparedandcorrelated.

Whilethisisarelativelysmallsamplesize,thesurveyresultsshowitisstillobviousthat

Fitbit’sdominanceinthewearablesmarketeasilyappealstothoseeagertofindsome

meanstotrackactivityandthereforehaveoptedtointegrateafitnesstrackerintotheir

dailylives(Figure8).Thosewiththeprimaryintentionto‘trackdailyactivity’appearedto

favourFitbitdevicesbyindicatingamoregeneralisedreasonforadoptingafitnesstracker,

muchinkeepingwithhowtheproductismarketed.

Figure8.PercentageofFitbitusers(30total)‘intentioninpurchasingafitnesstracker(s)’

ConclusionsregardingFitbitdevicesindicatethatmost‘Casual’peopleboughtaFitbitto

trackactivity,andregardlessoftheadditionalfunctionality,theyareonlyreallyinterestedin

doingjustthat.

25

Meanwhileincomparison,Garminusersstarklyregisteredamorespecificintentionto

‘monitorworkouts’andutilisethesportsfunctionalityoftheproduct(Figure9).Theirfocus

wasemphaticallyexercisebasedwithallGarminusersanswering‘YES’whenfurthermore

asked“Doyoudeliberatelytrackanyspecificactivities?(eg.activelychoosingtotimethe

durationofacertainactivitywithyourfitnesstracker)”.

Figure9.CountofGarminusers(17total)‘intentioninpurchasingafitnesstracker(s)’

Theseresultsshowhowtheactivitybehaviorofsomepeoplemayindeedsignificantly

determinewhichfitnesstrackertheyopttoadopt.Usersappeartomakethisdecisionbased

onwhethertheirpurchaseisofcasualconvenienceoriftheirneedsandinterestsdorequire

aspecificallysuitabledevice.

26

3.3.3INTENTIONANDEXPECTATIONVERSUSREALOUTCOME

Despitethesmallsamplesizeofparticipantsinvolved,thecomparisonofintentionsand

actualuseofthoseparticipantswhohadoptedtoforfeitusingafitnesstrackerstillbrought

upsomenotabletrends.Forthe56participantswhowereinthegroupofcurrentfitness

trackerusers,asimilarproceduretocategorisetheiroriginalintentionandfollowingusewas

applied.

Figure10.Comparisonofinitialexpectationandactualuseinwhichcurrentusers(56

participants)utilisetheirfitnesstrackers.

Thisanalysiscategorisedtheresultsfromtheperspectiveofwhetheraparticipantbelieved

theywereindeedusingtheirdeviceasinitiallyintendedorwhethertheyhadinstead

adoptedasimilarorotherusethedeviceoffered.Asexpected,peopleindicatedthatthey

areusingtheirdeviceshowtheyoriginallyintended,thereforeimplyingthatpeopleare

makinginformedpurchases.

93%ofparticipantswhoboughtdevicesforspecificallyloggingsaidtheydologactivitiesas

intended.Interestingly,ofthosewhohadstated‘loggingworkouts’asboththeirprimary

intentionanduse,tworespondentsconflictinglyansweredthattheydonotlogany

activities.Theirlateranswersgavenoconclusivereasonforthisdeviation,butonecould

speculatetheremayexistdifferencesbetweenaperson’sperceptionandactuality.

27

Figure11.Categorisedusetrendoffitnesstrackerownerswithinoneyearofuse

(22respondents)

Figure12.Categorisedusetrendoffitnesstrackerownersafteroneyearofuse

(34respondents)

Thetimescaleofownershipdoesnotappeartohavehadmuchimpactinchanginghowa

userusestheirdevice.Incomparingthecategorisationofusebetweenparticipantswithina

yearandoverayear,theiroriginalintentionremainsforthemajoritytheirmostprominent

use(Figure11).Withinthefirstyearpeoplemayfindadditionalusetowhattheirdevice

offers,afterayearthatismoreunlikely(Figure12).Regardless,theprimaryintendeduseis

stillthemostdominantaspectandthiswouldindicatethefitnesstrackersdeliveronthe

groundstheyarepurchasedfor.Itcansimilarlybesaidthatpeopleowningadeviceovera

prolongedperiodoftimeareinclinedtouseitasintended,orelsetheymayfeelsome

reasontodiscontinueusingthem.

28

3.3.4MOTIVATIONALUSE

Thehypothesisofthisresearchpaperbelievesthatfitnesstrackersoffermorethanjust

objectivetrackingstatistics.Fitnesstrackingdevicesencourageuserstobemoreactive

basedontheirsubjectiveperceptionofthenumberstheyarepresentedwith–motivation

comesfromobjectivegoalsasaresult.

Figure13.Countof(56participants)inresponsetostatement.

Themajorityofrespondentsindicatedthattheydoactivelymakeanefforttodosomeform

ofadditionalactivityinordertoimprovethestatisticsregisteredbytheirtracker(Figure13).

Aconclusiondrawnfromthisimpliesthatfitnesstrackersindeedofferanexternalformof

motivationtousers.Participantsweregiventheoptiontoaddadescriptionofwhat

additionalactivitytheydo;thefollowingresultswerecodedtoillustratewhatmotivations

wereinplay,inrelationtofitnesstrackerstatistics(Figure14).

Figure14.Countof(33participants)incodedfree-textresponsetopreviousquestion.

29

Theactivitiesinvolving‘Steps’,asperFigure14,sawparticipantsfrequentlystate‘toreach

my10,000stepsperday[they]havewalkedaroundandgoneupanddownstairstomakeup

thestepcount’or‘trydomorestepsthanyesterday’.Inthecaseof‘Exercise’,participants

commentedtheywouldincreasetheirphysicalactivityto‘includeanadditionaland

unplannedworkoutinthedailyroutine’.Inasimilartheme,thosecategorisedasmotivated

by‘Calories’saidtheywouldengagein‘moreactivitytoburnmorecalories’orfor

‘Heartrate’they‘pushedharderifheartratewasnothighinworkouts’.Inallcases,achange

inbehaviouralactivitywasmadeinresponsetoobjectivefiguresindicatedbytheirdevices.

Conclusionsdrawnfromthisindicatethatsettingandmeetinggoalscreatesmotivation.This

motivationisthereforegeneratedbygoalstiedintotheobjectivemeasurementofferedby

fitnesstrackers.Immediacyofbehaviourandaperson’sgoalsaretwoaspectsthat

determinetheeffectiveness.

Figure15.Countof(56participants)responsetostatement.

Howregularlyusersengagewiththeirdevicesbeyondtheconstantfigurepresentedontheir

wristwasconsideredtoseeiffrequencyresultedinmoreconnectionorcommitmentto

theirdevice.Whenaskedhowoftentheysynchroniseandcomparetheirtrackedstatistics,a

majoritydidsoregularlyonadailybasistowithinaweekofuse(Figure15).Decisive

conclusionscouldnotbedrawnastowhetherfrequentcomparisonofdataeither

encourageduserstomovemoreorifitresultedinusersfeelingbored.Responsesregarding

bothwereevenlysharedwhenindicatingtime.

30

Figure16.Countof(56participants)responsetostatement.

WhenaskedtoindicateonaLikertscale,theparticipantsasawholeshowedthattheydid

altertheiractivityorbehaviourinresponsetotrackedstatisticsoftheirdevices(Figure16).

Participantswereaskedtoratethefollowingstatementswhether‘Iactivelychangemy

behaviourtoimprovemytrackedactivityindicatedbymyfitnesstracker’(blue)and‘Ihave

changedmygoalsasaresultoftrackingmyactivities’(red)(Figure17).Thecontextofthe

goal-orientatedquestiondoesgiveclarityontheterm‘goals’–participantsmayalter

objective‘goals’indicatedbytheirtrackerormorebroaderlifestylegoals.Resultsdonot

revealhowbuttheynonethelessconfirmfitnesstrackersasmotivationaltoolstopromote

usersintomakingactivechanges.

Figure17.Countof(56participants)responsetostatements.

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Figure18.Countof(56participants)responsetoquestion.

Morethanhalfoftherespondentsrecordedthattheyfeelstronglyencouragedtomoveby

theirfitnesstrackerstats.Itisworthnotinginrelationtoapreviousresult–thosewho

answeredthattheyfeel‘encouraged’and‘stronglyencouraged’tomovedidnotnecessarily

doanything‘active’asaresult.Amajorityofthoserespondentshoweverdidfeelthatthey

hadchangedtheirbehaviourduetotheirtrackinghabits(Figure17.)–whetherthisisona

dailybasisoroveralongperiodoftimeisindiscerniblefromthedatagathered.Similarly,

resultsshowthatparticipantsdomoreoftenthannotchangetheirgoalsastracked,

showinganawarenessoftheobjectivestatisticstheirdevicestrack(Figure18).

Figure19.Comparisonofdataanalysingwhetherparticipants(41participants)whostatedtheyfelt‘encouraged’or‘stronglyencouraged’bytheirfitnesstrackerpartakeinadditional

activitytoreachstatistics.

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Figure20.Comparisonofdataanalysingwhether‘encouraged’and‘stronglyencouraged’to

moveparticipants(41participants)indicatediftheychangedtheirbehaviour.

Figure21.Comparisonofdataanalysingwhether‘encouraged’and‘stronglyencouraged’

participants(41participants)indicatediftheychangedgoals.

33

Figure22.Ownershiptimeofrespondentswhofeltencouraged(41often&sometimes,15

never&rarely)bytheirfitnesstracker.

Centraltothispaperistodiscernwhataspectsoffitnesstrackeractivelymotivatetheir

userstomove.Analysisofresultsconsideredtimeandownershipperiodholdinginfluence.

Acomparisonoftimeframebetweenencouragedrespondentsorthoselacking

encouragementshowsatrendoffeelingencouragementmoresowithinthefirstyearofuse

(Figure22).Inthefirsttwelvemonths,motivationcouldbedrawnfrominitialattachmentor

familiaritywiththedevicefulfillingtheirhealthandfitnessintentions.

Thegraphclearlyshowsadrop-offperiodafterayearofwhichusageorlackofmotivation

maybethecauses(Figure22).Inthecaseofthoseowningonewithinayear,therealso

appearstobeatail-offperiodoffeelingmotivationalencouragement.Bothinstancesprove

thatthereseemstobesometemporaleffectthatinfluencesmotivationintheusageof

fitnesstrackers.

34

Figure23.Responseofparticipants(15)wholackedencouragementtomovebytheirdevice

Thesurveyhypothesisanticipatedthat‘boredom’maybemarkedasareasonforfeelinga

lackofencouragementtomovefromtheirfitnesstracker.Interestinglythough,ofthose

whoregisteredalackofencouragementpredominantlyindicatedthey‘rarely’feltbored

from‘trackingthesamestatisticsregularly’(Figure23).

35

3.3.5REASONSFORDISCONTINUEDUSEOFAFITNESSTRACKER

Thoughtheuseoffitnesstrackerspresentlyremainsstrong,concernsregardingthe

retentionofusersandthelifeofthedevicesareinteresting.Thesurveywasdesignedto

seektheexperienceofusersbothpastandpresenttounderstandtheirreasonsforusing

suchdevices.Inthecaseofthosewhopresentlynolongeruseone,asubstantialamountof

timehadbeentakenbeforetheyhaddiscontinueduse(Figure24).

Figure24.Timeframeoffitnesstrackerownership(12participants)beforediscontinueduse.

Inthiscontextofdiscontinueduse,Fitbitdevicesweremostlynamedwhenaskedwhich

devicetheyhadowned.Theresultsdonotimplyanythingsignificant,withtherespondents’

reasonsbeingvariedandnotindicativeofanycommonissue.Proportionallyspeaking,the

resultsperhapsonlyreflectthepopularityofFitbitinthefirstinstance.

Furthermore,thesurveydesignofferedaselectionofreasonsontheassumptionthere

wouldbeasampleofparticipantswhohaddiscontinueduse(Figure25).Thosewhostopped

usingtheirdevicewithintheirfirstyeargaveresponsesbeyondthestatedoptions.One

notedthattheirdevice‘wasn'ttrackingexerciseproperly’,anindicationofunsatisfaction.

Anotheraddedthey‘nolongerwantedtotrack[their]workoutssoclosely’,whichmay

alludetothepsychologicalpressureofhavingeveryworkoutanalysed.Thosewhogaveup

useafteroneyearofownershipgenerallyoptedforreasonsstated,though‘pregnancy’was

dulyadded.

36

Figure25.Reasonsparticipants(8total)nolongerusetheirdeviceafter1yearormore.

Figure26.Expectationandoutcomecomparisonofreasonsfordiscontinueduseofdevice.

Reasonsfordiscontinuedusewerecodedtocomparerelativityofexpectationandoutcome

–responseswerecodedas‘same’,‘similar’or‘unrelated’.Itwasnotedthatonlyinafew

casesdidthereasonreflectpoorlyontheirinitialexpectationsofthedevice–eg.Intention:

‘monitorworkouts’,reasonfordiscontinuation:‘Wasn'ttrackingexerciseproperly’.Inthose

instancessomeformofdissatisfactionorthedevicefailingtomeetitsexpectedpurpose

werepointedout.In‘similar’cases,participantsappearedtochangetheirmindinhowthey

intendedtousethedevice.Forexamplethepresumptionof‘trackingdailyactivity’woreoff

witha‘changeofroutine’,ortheintentionto‘monitorworkouts’resultedin‘boredomwith

existingfeatures’.Thesamplewastoosmalltodrawanydecisiveconclusionsbutresults

insinuatethatthemesaremorelikelyexternalthantodowiththedevicedirectly.

37

3.3.6COMPETITIONORSHARINGASADDITIONALMOTIVATION

Thesurveyresultsbackedthehypothesisthatmorecompetitiveorsports-specificusers

tendtofavourGarmindevices.Resultshaveshownthatmotivationcreatedbyfitness

trackersishappening.Whenanalysingthedata(10participants),thosewhoansweredthey

‘stronglyagree’tothestatement‘Ienjoythecompetitionelementofseeingotherpeople

beingmoreactive’weremostlyGarminusers(Figure27).However,thatstatementdoesnot

discountsomewhatcompetitiveparticipantsassolelybeingGarminusers.Participantswith

someinterestincompetitivecomparisonsoftrackedstatstendedtoownFitbits–this

aspectcouldbecreditedtothecommunitybasedsharingthattheirfitnesstrackersoffer

(Figure27).

Figure27.Percentageofdevicesownedby(19participants)whoansweredthey‘agree’and(10participants)whoansweredthey‘stronglyagree’tostatement

Thesurveyaskedwhetherparticipantscompareorsharetheirstatisticsandhowinorderto

gaugewhetherdoingsoaddedtomotivationalaspectsoffitnesstrackers.Inresponsetothe

question‘Doyouregularlysharethedatainanad-hocwaywithfriendsandfamily(i.e.by

comparingresultsonacasualbasis)’,responseswerenearlysplitdownthemiddle(Fig.28).

38

Figure28.Countof(56participants)responsetoquestion.

Whenitcametodevicesparticipantsusetocomparedata,FitbitandGarmindevicestopped

thoseowned(Figure29).Thatwassimilarlythecaseforthosewhodonotsharetheir

statisticsduetotheproportionofownership.Sharingandnotsharingdatalineupwith

othertrendsseenindeviceownershipcases.Thereasonsforusersnotsharingdatamaybe

downtotheirownprivatepreferenceoralternativelyhowtheyviewsharingthroughthe

devicesfunctionality.

Figure29.FitnessTrackercountof‘YES’participants(27total)&‘NO’participants(29total)

responsetosharing.

39

Ofthereasonsgivenfornotengaginginsharing,resultsmadeclearthatmost‘NO’

respondersfeltthatnoadditionalmotivationwouldresult(Figure30).Privacywas

secondaryamongstrespondents–itisplausiblethatusersfeeltheirstatisticseffectively

onlyrelatetothemselves,orthattheyseektomaintainprivacyoftheirpersonaldata.

Figure30.Countofreasons(29participants)fornotsharingdata.

Thisresearchpaperconsidersthatfitnesstrackersoffermorethanjustobjectivetracking

statistics.Usersbeingabletoengagewithotherdeviceusersthroughsharingoftheirstats

signifythecommunitybuildingprospectsfitnesstrackersexhibit.Ashypothesised,the

resultsofthesurveygaveaninsightintohowusersutilisetheirdeviceswithothers,casually

orcompetitively,tofurthermotivatethemselves.Conclusively‘competitively’classedusers

whopreferstructuredcontrastthose‘casual’users–thereisnorealcrossoverinhowthey

sharedata.

Figure31.Countofhowusers(27participants)categorisetheirsharinghabits.

40

ThecontinuedtrendofGarminusersbeingmorecompetitivelydrivenwhenitcomesto

usingtheirdeviceswasagainevidentwhenanalysingthesharingresponses.Indistinct

contrast,Fitbituserstendedtoclassifytheirsharinghabitsas‘casual’.Acleardivision

betweenthecharacteristicsofFitbitandGarminusersisonceagainproven(Figure32).

Figure32.Fitnesstrackercomparisonbetween‘casual’and‘competitive’sharingofdata(33

participants).

Theresultswereadditionallylookedattoascertainwhatotheraspectswerefuelling

motivationsbyassociationwithothers.Bysharingandusingfitnesstrackerbasedstatistics,

participantsregisteredfeelingmotivationandalsocommunityengagementbydoingso

(Figure33).‘Cardiovasculartrainingworkouts’werethemostpopularlysharedactivity

amongstthoserespondentswith58%ofthe24participantsdoingso.

41

Figure33.Reasonsforsharingofdata(27participants).

Thesurveyfurthermoresoughttoseewhethertherewerecasesofpeoplealternatively

usingafitnesstrackerformorethanjustindividualself-tracking.Whenasked‘Doyou

partakeinanygroupsorchallengeswhenconnectingwithothersandsharingyourtracked

activity?’8participantsstated‘YES’describingchallengesinvolvingstepcounts,distances

coveredortimedpersonalbests.Themotivationsderivedinthesecasesarecompetition

basedwithbothadesiretotopthechartsandinverselythefearoffailuredriving

respondents.Whilecompetitionisseenashealthy,somerespondentsacknowledgethat

comparisonsofsuchseeminglyobjectivedataareinfactcircumstantialandsubjective.

‘Itcanbegoodtouseitasmotivationtogetoutandexercisewhenyouseeyour

friendsaredoingit.Itcanbedemoralisingbecauseyoumaythinkthatyou'vehadagood

run/workoutandthenyouseethatyourfriendshaverunfaster/furtherthanyouorworked

outforlongerthanyou.‘

‘Canmotivateyoutobemoreactivetokeepupwith/dobetterthanyourfriends.

Makesyoumoreaccountableforandawareofyouractivitylevelsandhowtheyarerelative

toyourfriends.However,ifyourfriendsarenotveryactive,thefactthatyou'redoingmore

activitythanthemcangiveyouafalsesenseofsecurity(justbecauseyou'redoingmore

exercisethanthemdoesn'tmeanyou'redoingenough)’

42

Figure34.Countofreasons(24participants)inresponsetonoticingdifferencesinactivityfromengagingwithothers.

Theexamplesshownbackthehypothesisthatcompetitionsupportsmotivation.Motivation

createdonbehalfoftrackedstatisticscomesfullcirclewithrespondentsforthemostpart

reportingtheynotice‘significantdifferences’inactivitybyengagingwithothers.Objective

figuresandtrackedstatisticsarereasonsforpeoplewantingtopushthemselvesmore.

Perhapsthemostcompellingfindingofthisresearchwasthatofthe68participants,one

quarternoticeda‘significantdifference’provingthatengagementwithothersis

motivationalandacatalystforpositiveimprovement.Itcanthereforebeconcludedthat

fitnesstrackersareanexampleoftoolsthatpromptandallowuserstoengageinadditional

activity.

43

3.4FUTUREDEVELOPMENT

Acknowledgingthesmallsamplesizeinvolvedwiththesurvey,itishardtodrawdecisive

conclusionsregardingallthefindings.Furtherresearchmayseektoclarifyseveralaspects

andthemestheresultsalludeto.

Thedefinitionof‘goals’andthereactionofuserstosettingandmeetingthemcouldbere-

investigated.‘Goals’ifdefinedbynumbersindicatedbydevicecouldclarifytherelationship

betweenwhatstatisticsconstituteimprovingbehaviour.Itcouldsimilarlyseektoconcludeif

theeffectivenessofreachingsaid‘goal’isashort-termorlong-termchange.

Thetemporaleffectofowningafitnesstrackerwasseentoinfluencetheamountof

encouragementauserfeelsfromengagingwiththeirdevice.Additionalexaminationinto

thisareacouldgiveclarityintofactorsinvolvedinboththetail-offofmotivationandthe

drop-offrateofusage.Correspondingly,since‘boredom’orwear&tearofthedevicewere

notseentobethedefinitecausesofdiscontinuation,moreinsightscouldbetterinformhow

tomaximisethefuturelifespanoffitnesstrackers.

Furtherinvestigationofthesethemescouldstrengthenknowledgearoundtheeffectiveness

offitnesstrackersinthepromotionofphysicalactivityandindailylife.

44

3.5CONCLUSIONS

Analysisofthesurveyresultsreferencedmanythemesdiscussedintheliteraturereviewof

thisresearchpaper:

Firstly,userattitudesandobjectiveintentionsoftendeterminethefitnesstrackertheymay

adopt.Whilemanyfitnesstrackersexistinthemarketandtargetcertainaudiences,the

traitsuserspossessverymuchreflecttheiruseofcertaindevices.Evidentlyasseenin3.3.1,

theparticipant’sattitudetoengaginginactivityfirstandforemostinformstheirpurchase

andusage.Aclearreflectionofthecurrentfitnesstrackermarketwasevidentbetweenthe

differentbrandsoperatinginthespacethroughtheparticipantresponse.Theproportionof

participantsclaimingtoownaFitbitdevicerepresentedthedominanceofthebrandinthe

market.

Furthermore,bytheobservingtheuserattitudesandintentionsin3.3.2,themajorityof

Fitbitusersdemonstratedamorecasualandgeneralapproachtotrackingactivity.Inactual

useasseenin3.3.3,theincidentalapproachtotrackingactivitymeantFitbittrackers

suitablysupporttheirworkoutfrequencyandlifestylerequirements.Incontrast,theresults

consistentlyshowedGarmindeviceuserstendedtobemorefocusedandcompetitiveusers,

mainlyinterestedintrackingspecificactivities.Garminusersformostparthadaclear

intentionandexpectationtowardsthecapabilitiesofthedevicetheywereusing.

Conclusively,peoplewereseentobeusingtheirdeviceshowtheyhadintendedtodoso

uponpurchasingthem.

Secondly,theresearchshowedhowfitnesstrackersofferavarietyofmeansfromwhicha

usercandrawmotivation.Objectivetrackingpresentedbythedeviceallowsuserstogauge

informationandsubsequentlydecidehowtouseit.Whilestatisticsmaybeobjective

quantities,theuser’ssubjectiveviewofthemmaypromptthemtoengageinadditional

activity.Section3.3.4providesexamplesofhowusersdofindmotivationtobeactiveasa

result.Despitefeelingencouragement,apersonmaynotnecessarilypartakeinadditional

activity–asenseofmotivationdoesnotincentiviseactivity.Insection3.3.5reasonsfor

discontinuedusewereconsideredwithexternalfactorsdeemedmoreatfaultthandevice

flaws,conclusionshoweverwerenotfullydefinitivegiventhesmallsamplesize.

45

Forthevastmajorityofusersthough,itwasshownthatmotivationiscreatedthroughtheir

relationshipwiththedevicebyunderstandingtheirownpersonalfeatsandfeeling

encouragementtoactasaresult.Basestatisticstrackedbythedeviceremainedthesame,

buthowapersoninterpretstheiroutputoveranyperiodoftimeanddecidestoactasa

resultiswhatdrivesactivechange.

Section3.3.4provedthatmotivationcomesfromfeelingtheabilitytobettersomething,in

thiscase,statisticsindicatedbyafitnesstracker–competitionsimilarlyplaysaroleasa

reasonforimprovement,whetherwithyourownselforwithothers.Thediscussionin3.3.5

regardingcompetitionadditionallydrivingmotivationfoundthat25%ofparticipantsnoticed

a‘significantdifference’thereforeprovingthatengagementwithothersisacatalystfor

positiveactiveimprovement.Peoplemaymakesmallactivechangesorlong-termlifestyle

behaviouralchangesasaresultfrominterpretingachallengeposedbytheirfitnesstracking

andalsofromothersusingthesamemeasurements.

Inconclusion,currentdayfitnesstrackersaremorethanpurelyjustobjectivetracking

devices.Throughthisresearchtheyhavedemonstratedfunctionalitywaybeyondthatof

singularlyquantifyingactivity.Throughtheirusetheyofferuserstheabilitytogenerate

motivationtobeactive,toencourageself-improvement,andsupportengagementwith

others–allofthesefactorssupportthedrivetowardshealthiermoreactivelifestyles.The

advancednatureoftechnologyallowsfitnesstrackerstofacilitatetheobjectiveneeds

potentialusersrequire,howeveritisthesubjectivebenefitsthatmakethemvaluabletools

ineverydaylife.

46

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8. Naslund,A.,Aschbrenner,K.,andBartels,S.(2016)‘Wearabledevicesandmobiletechnologiesforsupportingbehavioralweightlossamongpeoplewithseriousmentalillness’,In:MentalHealthandPhysicalActivity,vol.10,pp.10–17.

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47

17. Tucker,W.,Bhammar,D.,Sawyer,B.,Buman,M.,&Gaesser,G.(2015)‘ValidityandreliabilityofNike + Fuelbandforestimatingphysicalactivityenergyexpenditure’,In:MedicineandScienceinSportsandExercise,7(14).

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PRESSRELEASE:

1. InternationalDataCorporation,(2016).FitnessTrackersintheLeadasWearablesMarketGrows3.1%intheThirdQuarter,AccordingtoIDC[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS41996116[Accessed11Apr.2017].

2. InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).IDCExpectsInterestingWearablestoArrivein2017,ShipmentstoReach2.3MillionUnitsinCentralandEasternEuropeby2018.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prCEMA42365617[Accessed11Apr.2017].

3. InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).SatisfactionwithWearableDevices,2016.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42303117[Accessed11Apr.2017].

4. InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).U.S.WearablesMarketShares,2016:FitbitKeepsGrip[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42352317[Accessed11Apr.2017].

5. InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WearablesAren'tDead,They'reJustShiftingFocusastheMarketGrows16.9%intheFourthQuarter,AccordingtoIDC.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS42342317[Accessed11Apr.2017].

6. InternationalDataCorporation,(2017).WorldwideWearablesMarketShares,2016:FitbitRetainsLeadership.[online]Availableat:http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=US42352217[Accessed11Apr.2017].

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APPENDIX–GOOGLEFORMSSURVEYANEXAMINATIONINTOTHEUSAGEOFFITNESSTRACKERSBYTHEGENERALPOPULATION.RESEARCHOUTLINEYouareinvitedtoparticipateinthisresearchprojectquestionnaire.Thisquestionnaireistoassessyourexperience,ifany,ofusingafitnesstrackingdevice(s)aspartofyourdailyroutine.TheprojectisbasedintheSchoolofComputerScienceandStatistics,TrinityCollegeDublin,ledbyCarynChanandGlennStrong.

Forthepurposeofthisquestionnaire,a‘fitnesstracker’isdefinedasanywearabledevicetobewornonthewristthatisspecificallydesignedtotrackandmonitoraperson’smovement,dailyactivities,andvitalstatisticsinrelationtohealthandfitness.(eg.Fitbit,Polarwatch,Garmin,SamsungGear,NikeFuelbandetc)Theoutcomewillhelpusunderstandtheusageoffitnesstrackersanddevicesbymembersofthegeneralpublic.

RISKSANDDISCOMFORTSThesurveyiscompletelyanonymousandwillonlytakeacoupleofminutestocomplete.Answeringquestionsaboutone’sexperiencesmaybeuncomfortable.

VOLUNTARYNATUREYoucanchoosenottoansweraquestionatanytime.Eachquestionisoptional.Feelfreetoomitaresponsetoanyquestion;howeverwewouldbegratefulifallquestionsarerespondedto.Youmaywithdrawfromthestudyatanytimewithoutpenalty.

CONFIDENTIALITYPleasedonotnamethirdpartiesinanyopentextfieldofthequestionnaire;anysuchreplieswillbeanonymised.Weplantoanalyseandpublishtheresultsofthisstudy.Ourreportwillnotincludeanyinformationthatwouldidentifyyou.Tokeepyourinformationsafe,wewillmoveresponsestoapassword-protectedserverandwillonlybemaintainedfordurationofthisproject.CONFLICTOFINTERESTThisreviewisbeingundertakenbyCarynChanandGlennStrongitisacknowledgedthatthisrepresentsapossibleconflictofinterestbecause:youmaybeafriendoracquaintanceofus;youmaybeastudentwhostudieswithus;weworkfor/withaninstitutionwhereyoumaystudy.Inrespectofthisacknowledgement,weaskthatyouactwithintegrityifyoutakepartandweundertaketodothesameasresearchers.ThisresearchhasbeenapprovedbytheSchoolofComputerScienceandStatisticsEthicsCommittee,TrinityCollegeDublin.

49

CONTACTIfyouhaveanyquestionsinrelationtothis,pleasedonothesitatetocontactus.CarynChan<cachan@tcd.ie>andGlennStrong<Glenn.Strong@scss.tcd.ie>TrinityCollegeDublin,SchoolofComputerScienceandStatistics.

CONFIRMCONSENT

•Ihaveread,orhadreadtome,theinformationaboutthisresearchandthisconsentform.IhavehadtheopportunitytoaskquestionsandallmyquestionshavebeenansweredtomysatisfactionandIunderstandthedescriptionoftheresearchthatisbeingprovidedtome.•IagreethatanydataIprovidewillbeusedforscientificpurposesandIhavenoobjectionifthisdataispublishedinscientificpublicationsinawaythatdoesnotrevealmyidentity.•IunderstandthatifImakeillicitactivitiesknown,thesewillbereportedtoappropriateauthorities.•Ifreelyandvoluntarilyagreetobepartofthisresearchstudy,thoughwithoutprejudicetomylegalandethicalrights.•IunderstandthatImayrefusetoansweranyquestionandthatImaywithdrawatanytimewithoutpenalty.•IunderstandthatifI,oranyoneinmyfamily,hasahistoryofepilepsythenIamproceedingatmyownrisk.•Iunderstandthatmyparticipationisfullyanonymousandthatnopersonaldetailsaboutmewillberecorded.•IagreetoTrinityCollege,UniversityofDublinstoringandusingtheinformationIprovideforthisproject.•Iam18yearsorolderandamcompetenttoprovideconsent*Required

Q1.ConfirmConsent-Ihaveread,orhadreadtome,informationabouttheprojectandknowhowinformationwillbecollectedandstored.IunderstandthatIcanchoosenottotakepartinthisprojectatanytimeandforanyreasonIchoose.Markonlyoneoval.*

YES-Iunderstandandwouldliketocontinue

NO-Iwouldnotliketocontinue

GENERALABOUTYOU

Eachquestionisoptional.Feelfreetoomitaresponsetoanyquestion;howeverwewouldbegratefulifallquestionsarerespondedto.

Q1.Whatisyourgender?MaleFemalePrefernottosay

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Q2.Whatisyouragerange?Over18andlessthan3030andlessthan5555andoverQ3.Howmanytimesaweekwouldyousetasidetimetoworkout?1-3times4-6times7+timesOWNERSHIPWewouldliketoknowalittlemoreaboutwhetheryouownorhaveownedafitnesstrackeroranysimilardevice(s).Q1.Haveyoueverownedorpurchasedafitnesstracker(s)?YESNO

• If‘NO’toQ1.Haveyoueverownedorpurchasedafitnesstracker(s)?THANKYOUFORYOURPARTICIPATIONForthepurposeofthissurveywearelookingforparticipantswhoownorhaveownedafitnesstracker.Nonethelessweappreciateyourtimeinvolunteeringtoparticipateinthissurvey.

• If‘YES’toQ1.Haveyoueverownedorpurchasedafitnesstracker(s)?OWNERSHIPWewouldliketoknowalittlemoreaboutyourpresentorpastexperienceyouwithusingthem.

Q1.Pleasestateyourfitnesstracker(s)Youranswer:_____________Q2.Whatwasyourintentioninpurchasingafitnesstracker(s)?trackdailyactivitymonitorworkoutssportwatchfunctionality(e.g.timeofday,stopwatch,etc)trackstates(example.Sleep,heartrate,restingheartrate)Other:Q3.Areyoucurrentlystillusingafitnesstracker(s)?YESNO

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• If‘YES’toQ3.Areyoucurrentlystillusingafitnesstracker(s)?:PRESENTOWNERSHIPQ4.Whendidyoupurchasesaidfitnesstracker(s)?3monthsago6monthsago1yearago2yearsago3yearsormorePRESENTUSAGEInthissectionwewouldliketohearaboutyourexperienceofusingafitnesstrackerand/ordevices.Specificallywewouldliketoknowaboutwhatkindofactivitiesyouusethemforandhowyouengagewithfeaturestheyoffer.Q1.Whatwouldyouconsideryourprimaryuseofthefitnesstracker(s)for?loggingdailyactivityloggingworkoutsessionstrackingsleepand/orotherstatesusingtime/watchfunctionalityQ2.Doyoudeliberatelytrackanyspecificactivities?(eg.activelychoosingtotimethedurationofacertainactivitywithyourfitnesstracker.)YESNOQ3.Haveyoueverdonesomething‘extra’duringthedayinordertoreachacertaintargetnumberreportedbyyourfitnesstracker?YESNOQ3a.If'YES'totheprevious,pleasebrieflydescribesomeexample.YouranswerQ4.Howoftendoyouexamineyourdailyactivitydatawithrespecttoyourpastdata?DailyEvery1to3daysWeeklyFortnightlyMonthlyNeverQ4a.Whencomparingpastdata,areyoulikelytochangeorincreaseyourgoalsinsomewayindicatedbyyourfitnesstracker?YESNO

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• If‘NO’toQ3.Areyoucurrentlystillusingafitnesstracker(s)?:PASTOWNERSHIPQ4.Howlonghadyoupreviouslyownedyourfitnesstracker(s)for?3months6months1year2years3yearsandmoreQ5.Whatwasyourreason(s)fordiscontinuinguseofyourfitnesstracker?wearandtearovertimemodeldiscontinuedorupgradedtoocomplextouseorunderstandingboredomwithexistingfeatureschangeofroutineOther:PASTUSAGEInthissectionwewouldliketohearaboutyourexperienceofusingafitnesstrackerand/ordevices.Specificallywewouldliketoknowaboutwhatkindofactivitiesyouusedthemforandhowyouengagedwithfeaturestheyoffer.Q1.Whatwouldyouhaveconsideredyourprimaryuseofthefitnesstracker(s)for?loggingdailyactivityloggingworkoutsessionstrackingsleepand/orotherstatesusingtime/watchfunctionalityOther:Q2.Didyoudeliberatelytrackanyspecificactivities?(eg.activelychoosingtotimethedurationofacertainactivitywithyourfitnesstracker.)YESNOQ3.Hadyoueverdonesomething‘extra’duringthedayinordertoreachacertaintargetnumberreportedbyyourfitnesstracker?YESNOQ4.Howoftendidyouexamineyourdailyactivitydatawithrespecttoyourpastdata?DailyEvery1to3daysWeeklyFortnightlyMonthlyNever

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Q4a.Whencomparingpastdata,wereyoulikelytochangeorincreaseyourgoalsinsomewayindicatedbyyourfitnesstracker?YESNOSHARINGInthissectionwewouldliketohearabouthowyoumayuseorhaveusedyourfitnesstrackerforinteractingandengagingpurposeswithothers.Wewouldliketoknowalittlemoreaboutyourmotivationsandexperiencesindoingso.Q1.Doyouregularlysharethedatainanad-hocwaywithfriendsandfamily(i.e.bycomparingresultsonacasualbasis)YESNO

• If‘NO’toQ1.Doyouregularlysharethedatainanad-hocwaywithfriendsandfamily(i.e.bycomparingresultsonacasualbasis):

REASONSFORNOTSHARINGQ2.Whatareyourreasonsfornotsharingyourdatawithothers?tokeepdatapersonaltomaintainprivacyofinformationfinditunnecessaryorhavenomotivationtodosohadpoorexperienceOther:

• If‘YES’toQ1.Doyouregularlysharethedatainanad-hocwaywithfriendsandfamily(i.e.bycomparingresultsonacasualbasis):

ACTIVESHARINGQ2.Howdoyoucompareyourstatisticsoractivitieswithothers?Casually-withfriendsorfamilyCasually-fitnesstrackerconnectedwithanonlinecommunityCompetitively-withaclub,orviaonlineactivities(eg.stravaKOH)Q3a.Haveyouconnectedyourdevicewithotherstoshareyouractivity?YESNOQ3b.Inansweringparta),whatareyourreasonsfordoingso?tocompareactivitywithotherstocompetewithotherstoengagewithcommunitytogainmotivationfromothersOther:

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Q4.Whatspecificactivitiesordataloggedbyyourfitnesstrackerdoyousharewithothers?GeneraldailyactivityWeighttrainingworkoutsCardiovasculartrainingworkoutsStepsand/ordistancecoveredpertimeSleepOther:Q5a.Doyoupartakeinanygroupsorchallengeswhenconnectingwithothersandsharingyourtrackedactivity?YESNOQ5b.If'YES'totheprevious,pleasebrieflydescribesomeexample.Youranswer:_______________Q6.Pleasebrieflymentionanybenefitsordrawbacksyoufeelcomeasaresultofparticipatinginsuchamanner:Youranswer:_______________Q7.Haveyounoticedanysignificantdifferencesinyouractivityfromyourengagementwithothers?YESNOPERCEPTIONInthissectionwewouldliketoknowmoreaboutyouropiniononthefollowingstatementsaboutfitnesstrackersaspiecesoftechnologyandtheirroleforhealthandfitness.Pleaseindicateyouropinionbymarkingoneoptionwithrespecttoyourpresentorpastownershipofafitnesstracker:Ifeelencouragedtomovemorewhennearinganactivitygoaltargetindicatedbyyourfitnesstracker.1–Often234–NeverIenjoythecompetitionelementofseeingotherpeoplebeingmoreactive.1–Often234–Never

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Iactivelychangemybehaviourtoimprovemytrackedactivityindicatedbymyfitnesstracker.1–Often234–NeverIhavechangedmygoalsasaresultoftrackingmyactivities.1–Often234–NeverIgetboredfromtrackingthesamestatisticsregularly.1–Often234–NeverCONFIRMANSWERSIfyouarehappywithyouranswers,pleaseconfirmyourconsentforthemtoberecorded.Youmayinsteadwishtoexitwithoutsubmittingyouranswers.ConfirmationofanswersIamcontentwithmyanswersandwishthemtoberecorded.StopfillingoutthisforIamnothappywithmyanswersandwouldlikethemtobedisregarded-pleaseexitwithoutcompleting;youranswerswillnotbestored.