12 Years of Self-tracking for Promoting Physical Activity from a User Diversity Perspective: Taking Stock and Thinking Ahead

TL;DR

This paper reviews 12 years of research on self-tracking technology for promoting physical activity, emphasizing the importance of personalized and inclusive design to effectively motivate diverse user groups.

Contribution

It analyzes a comprehensive corpus of research to identify effective design elements and offers recommendations for tailoring interventions based on user diversity.

Findings

Personalization enhances motivation and effectiveness.

Most interventions use a one-size-fits-all approach.

Recommendations for designing inclusive self-tracking systems.

Abstract

Despite the indisputable personal and societal benefits of regular physical activity, a large portion of the population does not follow the recommended guidelines, harming their health and wellness. The World Health Organization has called upon governments, practitioners, and researchers to accelerate action to address the global prevalence of physical inactivity. To this end, an emerging wave of research in ubiquitous computing has been exploring the potential of interactive self-tracking technology in encouraging positive health behavior change. Numerous findings indicate the benefits of personalization and inclusive design regarding increasing the motivational appeal and overall effectiveness of behavior change systems, with the ultimate goal of empowering and facilitating people to achieve their goals. However, most interventions still adopt a "one-size-fits-all" approach to their design, assuming equal effectiveness for all system features in spite of individual and collective user differences. To this end, we analyze a corpus of 12 years of research in self-tracking technology for health behavior change, focusing on physical activity, to identify those design elements that have proven most effective in inciting desirable behavior across diverse population segments. We then provide actionable recommendations for designing and evaluating behavior change self-tracking technology based on age, gender, occupation, fitness, and health condition. Finally, we engage in a critical commentary on the diversity of the domain and discuss ethical concerns surrounding tailored interventions and directions for moving forward.