Background: Despite the increasing attention for the positive effects of physical activity (PA), nearly half of the Dutch citizens do not meet the national PA guidelines. A promising method for increasing PA are mobile exercise applications (apps), especially if they are embedded with theoretically supported persuasive strategies (e.g., goal setting and feedback) that align with the needs and wishes of the user. In addition, it is argued that the operationalization of the persuasive strategies could increase the effectiveness of the app, such as the actual content or visualization of feedback. Although much research has been done to examine the preferences for persuasive strategies, little is known about the needs, wishes, and preferences for the design and operationalization of persuasive strategies.Objective: The purpose of this study was to get insight in the needs, wishes, and preferences regarding the practical operationalization of persuasive strategies in a mobile application aimed at promoting PA in healthy inactive adults.Methods: Five semistructured focus groups were performed. During the focus groups, the participants were led into a discussion about the design and operationalization of six predefined theory-based persuasive strategies (e.g., self-monitoring, feedback, goal setting, reminders, rewards, and social support) directed by two moderators. The audio-recorded focus groups were transcribed verbatim and analyzed following the framework approach.Results: Eight men and 17 women between 35 and 55 years (mean age, 49.2) participated in the study. Outcomes demonstrated diverse preferences for implementation types and design characteristics of persuasive strategies in mobile applications. Basic statistics (such as distance, time and calories), positive feedback based on easy-to-achieve goals that relate to health guidelines, and motivating reminders on a relevant moment were preferred. Participants had mixed preferences regarding rewards and a social platform to invite other users to join PA.Conclusions: Findings indicated that in mHealth applications for healthy but inactive adults, persuasive strategies should be designed and implemented in a way that they relate to health guidelines. Moreover, there is a need for an app that can be adapted or can learn based on personal preferences as, for example, preferences with regard to timing of feedback and reminders differed between people.
Collaborative Mixed Reality Environments (CMREs) enable designing Performative Mixed Reality Experiences (PMREs) to engage participants’ physical bodies, mixed reality environments, and technologies utilized. However, the physical body is rarely purposefully incorporated throughout such design processes, leaving designers seated behind their desks, relying on their previous know-how and assumptions. In contrast, embodied design techniques from HCI and performing arts afford direct corporeal feedback to verify and adapt experiential aesthetics within the design process. This paper proposes a performative prototyping method, which combines bodystorming methods with Wizard of Oz techniques with a puppeteering approach, using inside-out somaesthetic- and outside-in dramaturgical perspectives. In addition, it suggests an interdisciplinary vocabulary to share and evaluate PMRE experiences during and after its design collaboration. This method is exemplified and investigated by comparing two case studies of PMRE design projects in higher-art education using the existing Social VR platform NEOS VR adapted as a CMRE.
This investigation explores relations between 1) a theory of human cognition, called Embodied Cognition, 2) the design of interactive systems and 3) the practice of ‘creative group meetings’ (of which the so-called ‘brainstorm’ is perhaps the best-known example). The investigation is one of Research-through-Design (Overbeeke et al., 2006). This means that, together with students and external stakeholders, I designed two interactive prototypes. Both systems contain a ‘mix’ of both physical and digital forms. Both are designed to be tools in creative meeting sessions, or brainstorms. The tools are meant to form a natural, element in the physical meeting space. The function of these devices is to support the formation of shared insight: that is, the tools should support the process by which participants together, during the activity, get a better grip on the design challenge that they are faced with. Over a series of iterations I reflected on the design process and outcome, and investigated how users interacted with the prototypes.
