Your Opinion on Fitness Apps
 

I've created a short survey about Fitness Apps for the course I'm in. If you feel so inclined, I think you can go in and complete the survey. No pressure!!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GWWP7QF



A little background ...

My course is Human Computer Interaction. Or in other words, all about user interfaces.

Our assignments throughout the year are to come up with something based on the theme Get Moving at Work.

I have chosen a Fitness App ... a Workplace-Related Fitness App.

For the third and last assignment, we have to do some sort of "user needs" discovery process. So I thought I'd throw in a survey. Hence, the survey above. :)

If you're uncomfortable with a survey link, these are the questions ... it's my first time using Survey Monkey so I could have probably done that better ... but anyway ...


Fitness Apps

1. About how many times in the average week do you engage in 30 minutes of light activity (i.e. leisurely walking, gardening, cleaning around the house)?
Scale: 0 10 20+


2. About how many times in the average week do you engage in 30 minutes of moderate activity (i.e. brisk walking, light bicycling)?
Scale: 0 10 20+


3. About how many times in the average week do you engage in 30 minutes of strenuous activity (i.e. running or jogging)?
Scale: 0 10 20+


4. Do you use any of the following fitness apps?

• Strava
  
• Runtastic
  
• My Fitness Pal
  
• MapMyFitness (MapMyWalk, MapMyRun, MapMyRide, etc.)
  
• Endomondo
  
• Training Peaks
  
• Ritualize
  
• ErgData
  
• Wahoo
• Other (please specify)

5. How comfortable are you with technology such as laptops, mobile phones and similar?

• Not comfortable
  
• Little bit comfortable
  
• Comfortable
  
• Quite comfortable
  
• Very comfortable!

6. Would you be interested in a fitness app designed for the workplace?

• No - Not Applicable
  
• No - Already Using Fitness Apps
  
• Maybe - Would Consider It
  
• Yes - If It Could Connect To Other Fitness Apps
  
• Yes - A Workplace Fitness App Would Be Good
• Other (please specify)

7. If your workplace were to get a Workplace Fitness App, would you prefer the app be completely separate from other apps?

• No
  
• Maybe
  
• Yes

8. If your workplace were to get a Workplace Fitness App, would you prefer the app have the option of being connected to other apps?

• No
  
• Maybe
  
• Yes

9. In a Fitness App, do you like to be able to enter your own information?

• No
  
• Maybe
  
• Yes

10. What are some features you like in a Fitness App

• Reports & Charts
  
• Challenges
  
• Customisation
  
• Ability to Track Additional Things (sleep, emotional status, weather, etc.)
  
• Ability to Work as a Team
  
• Other (please specify)

And generally ... for my own curiosity as well as the assignment ...

• If you use Fitness Apps, what do you like about them or dislike about them?
• Do you find them motivational?
• If you don't use Fitness Apps, is there something that puts you off ...

Don't worry, I'm not going to use names or anything in my assignment. :)

Done.

Honestly, I'm not much for fitness apps. I use Ride with Gps to track the basics, and I use a walking/hiking app to track those basics. Other than that, I know how I'm doing in the gym, and I don't care about a daily step counter, or some of the other stuff.

I don't use any computer software to tell me how to workout or how to eat...My brain is my fitness app.... When it comes to working out, training and fitness I am old school and have no desire to complicate my workouts with computers, smart phones, apps and other electronic gadgets.

I have to agree with you here. My "app" is my Garmin power meter and a pair of Kreitler 3.0" rollers with Killer Headwind or the open road. I have a long-time friend and coach who writes programs for me that I follow meticulously and provide feedback on, but that's partially because I'm his test subject for new ideas. I use Strava, but only as a graphic way of showing the rides & effort profiles. KOM hunting is a *yawn* and badges? Vee don' need no stinking badges! I glorify in the riding, the effort, the feeling of having pushed myself, the wind, and indoors - the music playlists while I'm riding. I have zero interest in staring a a screen watching some electronic image of somebody else. My motivation to ride is loving to ride.

I am very "put off" by the idea of any kind of so-called fitness workplace app provided and controlled by the employer that tracks every movement of its employees, and provides the employer personal data of its employees for unspecified purposes that may not be for the employees' benefit.

I wouldn't mind using a fitness app to see how much I exercise while doing my job, but the thing is that I get very dirty and sweaty during the summer, and I don't want to wear my smart watch or carry my phone since they're likely to get damaged. It's bad enough when my hands get scratched up reaching into the engine compartments of cars, I can't imagine how scratched up my watch would get. Plus I know by how tired I am at the end of the day how hard I worked.

I care for accuracy of the areas I'd consider using in a fitness app for the outdoors activity.

Ride data: Current MPH, average mph, distance traveled thus far, duration of the ride during & overall time spent riding & then an overall time including stops.
Health feedback: Calories Burned using weight/ height, age, & heart rate, maybe watts as an option.
Weather basics: Temperature, wind speed & direction of it, & a compass rose for where I am heading.
Route information: How easy it is to upload the areas map & where I've ridden thus far [outlined area on map], as well as current detours ahead ie; construction zones that block roadways & sidewalks.
If some of the above could be easily used indoors on any of the various stationary equipment, I'd see it beneficial.

When it comes down to work involvement, I'd likely not use it as it's my personal pref to keep it to myself.

Done and good luck with the project!

I am fortunate enough to get good health insurance for almost nothing, courtesy of the US taxpayer (thank you, taxpayer), but if I didn’t and my employer negotiated a significantly reduced premium for employees who exercised, and used an app to monitor it, I would give it serious consideration. This, at least, is a case where one gets something in return for personal information, as compared to the hundreds of ways we give it away for free, and to bad people.

You are assuming of course that employers would only use such personal information for the employees' benefit, and not something like hassling, badgering, punishing or even to initiate negative monetary actions against those employees who don't toe the line set by an employer with wacky "fitness ideas".


See the following URL about an employer (WeWork) with a leader/would-be Fuhrer inflicting his personal "fitness" eating habits on his employees. Unfortunately for the employees of WeWork, they will be lucky to have any jobs at all with this soon to be bankrupt company.

https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/13/tec...ban/index.html

I assume nothing. Giving up privacy has risk which must be balanced against any potential benefit. In any case, my scenario is what I said it is. A coercive employer could always make lifestyle monitoring a condition of employment.

Just for reference, Ritualize is one of many workplace fitness apps.

https://ritualize.com/

IMO, I don't think it is a particularly good one, but as far as privacy goes, I don't think all our details are passed to the employer, but the employer would see where we rank in the challenges (as would other employees).

There are other workplace fitness apps such as CoreHealth Technologies, LifeWorks, Limeade, Sprout, Whil, and WeFitter ... chances are, if you're currently employed in government or a large organisation, they use some sort of workplace fitness app.


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Thank you to everyone who has participated! Much appreciated!!

I have this survey in a few different locations so I'm not sure who is responding with what ... which is good ... but I'm getting some great answers. Definitely some concepts for me to think about and talk about in my assignment.


My apologies if the survey isn't really well set up ... it was my first time with Survey Monkey and I found Survey Monkey almost too helpful. Automatic things were popping up all over the place ... many of which I didn't want!! Learning experience.