Guided by Lights: Stimulating Physical Activity through an Adaptive Personal Light System

Loes van Renswouw, Carine Lallemand, Bodi Fok, Maaike Jetten, Ayu D. Ritzema, Heleen Smeets, Steven B. Vos

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Increasing physical inactivity and its subsequent health concerns have made promoting healthy and active lifestyles an important endeavour for many governing agencies. In this paper we focus on the influence of the environment to encourage people to move more. As a second iteration of an existing ‘Smart Exercise Route’, a 1.8 km walking and running path consisting of LED tiles in a public park, we designed a system that supports runners or walkers to set personal goals and gain intrinsic motivation to be physically active. The design focuses on aspects that positively impact motivation and/or performance: personalization, goal setting, and feedback mechanisms. An initial evaluation of a prototype placed in three public parks, showed that participants (N=35) appreciated the personalization of the route and its goal-setting opportunities. While one third of participants indicated the prototype as directly motivating, these positively experienced features are expected to indirectly increase motivation to be more active even further.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 6th International Conference on Design4Health, Amsterdam, 2020.
EditorsKirsty Christer, Claire Craig, Paul Chamberlain
PublisherLab4Living, Sheffield Hallam University
Pages68-75
Volume4
ISBN (Print)978-1-8381117-0-0
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Keywords

  • exercise motivation
  • physical activity
  • urban environment

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