Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The comments indicate that the simple biometric interaction between participants
mediated by RBH, introduced an element of competition to the class that is not
possible during normal indoor cycling classes. This element of competition motivated
the participants to increase their intensity in order to compete with the other
participants, resulting in a more efficient workout.
The two qualities, relation and motivation, indicate that sharing biometric data in
real-time can help facilitate social relations and enable competition between athletes
in a fitness activity, where neither is possible in regular classes. Hence, all
participants except one agreed that RBH made the indoor cycling class more
enjoyable.
5.2
Challenges: Exasperation and Discouragement
As described in the previous section, RBH motivated participants to increase effort in
order to climb the dynamic list of shared biometric data. However, for one participant
the pressure from the others became too significant and transformed into a felling of
exasperation, which ultimately caused her to cover the iPhone with a towel. This
occurred two-thirds into the indoor cycling class and afterwards the participant stated
that, “you look at it all the time, and you think, 'well, I can give a little extra', but in
the end it was too much, and I thought 'well, I should just ride in my own pace'”. This
example illustrates how real-time sharing of biometric data can be a powerful
motivational tool as it infers competition. Thus, developers and users should be aware
that the consequences of the motivational effects of a competition could lead to
exasperation.
In another test, one participant had an exhausting workout the day before, making
her legs sore on the test day. As a result, she struggled throughout the session trying
to match the intensity of the other participants, which she quickly realized was
impossible for her, due to the condition of her legs. During the retrospective
interview, she revealed that she was discouraged by the fact that she was not able to
compete. The chance of experiencing discouragement is mostly likely to happen if the
physical fitness level between users is too significant. Thus, users should aspire to
compete against other users in similar physical condition. However, future research
should also address how to improve fitness-level balancing in biometric-based
competitions, beyond the use of intensity.
The two cases presented in this section point to challenges that can be induced by
sharing biometric data between athletes in real-time during exercises. Even though
remarks from two participants highlighted negative consequences of sharing
biometric data, they both stated that they would rather ride with RBH than without in
future indoor cycling classes.
5.3
Facilitating Competition Using Biometric Data
Since the findings of our user studies exhibit how influential and powerful the
competitive element is in terms of motivation, achieved effort and enjoyment, we
wish to discuss the presence of competition, and how competition can be facilitated
