Motivating physical activity at work: Using persuasive social media extensions for simple mobile devices Derek Foster, Conor Linehan and Shaun Lawson Lincoln Social Computing Research Centre (LiSC) University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool Lincoln, LN6 7TS +44 (1522) 837086 defoster@lincoln.ac.uk ABSTRACT UK only 11.6% of adults are classed as physically active by taking part in moderate exercise 5 times or more a week [4]. Physical Powerful behaviour change programmes can be developed exercise has also been shown to improve health conditions such as through a combination of very simple, accessible technology, and heart disease and depression [2]. This paper reports on the use of an understanding of the psychological processes that drive a simple mobile device (SMD) – a digital pedometer - and a social behaviour change. We present a study in which very basic digital application to improve physical health in a specific environment: pedometers were used to record the number of steps taken by the workplace. As figures suggest that UK workers spend up to participants over the course of a normal working day. A 60% of their waking hours at work [9] there is scope to utilise Facebook application, named Step Matron, was utilised to provide some of this non-social time to encourage more physical activity. a social and competitive context for pedometer readings. We In recent years a number of researchers have conducted studies to were particularly interested in whether interactions between users evaluate the potential of using pedometers as health interventions via the application more successfully motivated physical activity in the workplace (e.g. [5], [3]). Chan et al. [3] report a substantial than simply recording daily step counts in a similar application. study involving 1442 employees over a 12 week period in which Ten participants (1 male), all nurses working in a UK hospital, pedometers were used to measure the effects of two types of used the application across two conditions over the course of the motivational structures on physical activity. These two study. In the socially-enabled condition, participants could view motivational structures were; health education (control group), each other‟s step data and make comparisons and comments. In and personal/team goal setting (intervention group). Analysis of the non-social condition, participants could only view their own the study‟s activity data revealed that 51% of participants in the personal step data. A significant increase in step activity was intervention group met the US governments recommendations observed in the socially enabled condition. Our findings highlight compared to 31% in the control group. It appears that the social the potential of social media as a means for generating positive interactions and competitiveness engendered by the team goal behaviour change. They also suggest that simple mobile devices setting, including the use of posters displaying and comparing can function as an inexpensive, accessible and powerful trigger team performances, may have had a significant impact on the towards this behaviour change without necessitating the use of results observed. overly complex and expensive mobile applications or devices. Interestingly, Chen et al. [3], did not utilise any technology- Categories and Subject Descriptors enabled feedback other than the pedometer display itself, in either H5.m. Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI): the control or intervention groups. Thus, the social and Miscellaneous competitive feedback presented to participants was indirect, infrequent and over a long period of time. The current paper suggests that offering users more direct and frequent online social General Terms feedback, could lead to both a more enjoyable experience for the Design, Experimentation, Human Factors user and more positive gains in recorded physical activity. In this study we leveraged an extremely popular contemporary Keywords online social network (OSN) - Facebook - in combination with Persuasive technology, lifestyle, health, mobile devices, SMD‟s in order to engage participants in a timely and playfully pedometers competitive manner with their step activity. The intention was to demonstrate the value of using an online social application to 1. INTRODUCTION record data, display feedback and facilitate on-topic discussion, Modern lifestyles are becoming increasingly sedentary [10]. In the thus eliminating the need for the user to wear anything other than Copyright is held by the author/owner(s). a cheap off-the-shelf pedometer. We are engaged in a number of MobileHCI 2010 September 7-10, 2010, Lisboa, Portugal. studies in which we are evaluating the viability of using social ACM 978-1-60558-835-3/10/09. . platforms in general to motivate and encourage positive behavioural change. For instance, this approach has been used successfully in raising awareness of the ecological impact of energy use in the home [8]. We designed and developed the Facebook application Step Matron using the Facebook API [6] and then evaluated it through a user study. The user study followed a within subjects design with each participant taking part in two conditions or social modes. In condition A, Step Matron was socially enabled, for example participants could see their friends‟ step data as well as their own; in condition B the Step Matron application was manipulated so that there were no social features available and so participants could only see their own personal step activity. Our hypothesis was that participants would be more active when using the socially enabled condition of Step Matron when compared to Figure 1. Silva Ex3 Plus Pedometer used in study the non-social condition. 2. Experimental Method In the study conducted here, participants manually self-reported 2.1 Participants their step count data as a task in the Step Matron software. Step Ten Registered Nurses (Nine females and one male) were Matron then offered users the ability to compare their step data recruited through a personal contact to trial Step Matron. All of with other users and also to post comments on their peers‟ the nurses were employed within the same hospital ward and activity. Additionally, personalised Facebook notifications were personally knew each other as friends. Additional criteria for sent to each of the participants in the study who had all added recruitment were that they must have been regular users of Step Matron to their Facebook profile, as shown in figure 2. Facebook for the past 12 months and that all participants must be on each other‟s friends list on Facebook. 2.2 Design In order to examine whether the social interaction element of the application was necessary over just recording and displaying feedback, we created two conditions; socially-enabled and non- social. In the socially-enabled condition, participants could view each other‟s step data and make comparisons and comments. In the non-social condition, participants could only view their own personal step data. The independent variable was therefore Step Matron‟s interaction mode, either social or non-social. The dependent variable was the number of steps taken by each participant, with a total step count being recorded in each condition for each participant. The experiment‟s conditions were counterbalanced to avoid ordering effects. This was done by creating two groups quasi- randomly, each group containing 5 participants. Group 1 started in the social condition, group 2 in the non-social condition and Figure 2. Notifications to other participants who are using the condition that each participant experienced was switched Step Matron halfway through the experiment. Thus, each participant experienced both conditions, and order effects were controlled for A rankings interface displayed the total step count for each as carefully as possible. participant in a table format with the highest total step count placed at the top of the table. Each participant in the table was selectable for a breakdown of their previous 7 day step count and 2.3 Materials for personal messaging. At the bottom of the rankings table a In order to generate activity data that we could use within the Step public comments board was available for posting messages Matron application we used a commercial off-the-shelf pedometer viewable by all. The rankings table provided the competitive – the „Silva Ex3 plus‟ [12] as shown in figure 1. attribute of Step Matron - as well as providing an opportunity for social interaction to take place, centred on step activity. condition, with mean step ratings of 42004.4 and 38132.1 for social and non-social conditions respectively. A Wilcoxon statistical test for repeated measures of non- parametric data showed that the total number of steps taken was significantly higher when participants used the social condition (Z= -2.5, N=10, p=0.013). Figure 3. Step Matron Rankings interface Figure 4: Participant step activity in each condition Other goal-driven features were implemented such as displaying Additional data collected from Google Analytics provided an who has walked the „most steps in one day‟ on the rankings insight into how often the participants across both conditions interface with a star rating. This provides the participants with a logged on to Step Matron. In the 21 days the experiment was run, mini-goal to work towards which supplemented the goal of there were 1142 pages views, with 224 unique visits to the Step attaining highest total step count. An overall group measurement Matron application, equalling 5 page views per visit. The average was incorporated which showed the total number of steps taken by time spent during each visit was 6 minutes 11 seconds, all participants with the equivalent mileage walked. highlighting that users of the application were willing to spend Submitted step data from the participants was stored in an MS some of their own time in interacting with Step Matron. SQL database, with all data stored anonymously. The Google Additionally, the users spent an average of 1 minute 46 seconds analytics service was also used to record the number of Facebook on the step input interface, but spent almost a minute longer when application page views for each of Step Matron‟s interfaces. interacting with the rankings interface at 2 minutes 37 seconds. It may be assumed that participants enjoyed the rankings interface 2.4 Procedure due to its social and game like properties – a league table and Each participant gave their informed consent and undertook the comments board. experiment by carrying a Silva Ex3 pedometer during working hours and entering their step data into Step Matron after each 3. Discussion working shift was completed. The experiment took place over a This paper has described the design, deployment and evaluation period of 21 days with each participant submitting 5 working days of a system that utilises a Facebook application to extend and of step activity in each condition. Half of the participants started support an SMD in persuading participants to increase physical in the social condition with the other half starting in the non- activity in the workplace. Participants recorded a significantly social condition. Once all participants in each group had higher number of steps in the social condition than in the non- submitted 5 working days of step data they were sent an email and social condition. This finding suggests that social interaction over notification through Facebook informing them of the changeover an online social network, such as viewing each other‟s step of conditions. Step Matron was then reprogrammed to perform in counts, comparing own usage to that of peers, and commenting on the alternative conditions with the relevant participants. each other‟s progress, can help motivate participants to increase Crucially, in order to deter participants from over-reporting step- physical activity in the workplace. count data, all participants were briefed at the beginning of the Comments from the participants showed they enjoyed the study that the pedometers stored historical activity, and that this competitive aspect with feedback such as “ooooh im number 1 so would allow researchers at the end of the study to validate the far :-)”. Interestingly, a comment was made that moved the accuracy of all self-reports. context of the physical activity from the workplace out into the personal social space, ”was out dancing fri night, can you 2.5 Results imagine how many steps that would have been!!!” with a response The steps recorded for each participant in both conditions are from another participant showing empathy over the „lost‟ steps, summarised in figure 4. Analysis found that 9/10 participants “aaahhh shame! Wouldve bin loads x”. walked more steps in the social condition than in the non-social The increased effectiveness of the social condition over the non- investigation. In particular, there is potential to improve the social condition in the current study may be explained by design of the experiment by empowering teams of participants as literature on social psychology. The desire to belong and well as the individuals directly. Future work direction would willingness to adapt behaviour to follow what others are doing has likely include game like mini-goals for both the individual and been seen as a fundamental motivator [1]. Social norms such as team orientations. peer pressure have also been seen as a means of changing behaviour to align with the ideals or beliefs of groups [11]. Whilst 5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS there is insufficient space to give a full account of the This work was funded by NHS Lincolnshire. Our thanks go to the psychological theories of social motivation, effecting behavioural nurses of the Haematology units at the Royal Hallamshire change through computer mediated social applications seems Teaching Hospital (Sheffield, UK). promising. Behavioural change is no easy feat and more often than not 6. REFERENCES technological endeavours fail to make an impression on the target [1] Baumeister, R.F., and Leary, M.R. “The need to belong: users [7]. 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Although the paper describes a http://www.silva.se/en/Products/Exercise-4-life/Pedometers/ relatively small scale study, it provides encouraging results and presents scope for a scalable implementation in a larger workplace