Supporting Users in Setting Effective Goals in Activity Tracking

In this paper we present the development of the pedometer app Move My Day which implements goal setting as its main persuasive design principle. Manual goal input as well as two strategies to support users in setting realistic goals, namely reference routes and personal goal recommendation, were implemented. The proposed algorithm for adaptive personal goal recommendation is designed in a way that it recommends short-term goals considering motivational aspects and gradually raises goals in the long term to meet physical activity recommendations. In a 12 week field study, we investigated the potentials of the two support strategies. Results indicate that about half of the users appreciate goal setting support and that especially personal goal recommendation seems to have potential to support users in setting effective physical activity goals.