Running with new generations

The ‘Running with new generations’ project falls under a non-disclosure agreement with the Adidas Innovation Team. Until I am free to share all the details, I will only be able to present some interesting conclusions of the literature study that I have conducted within this project.

The theory of self-determination considers peo­ple’s inherent growth tendencies and innate psy­chological needs (Ryan & Deci, 2000). It aims to explain why people do the things they do, in other words; motivation. It is well known that there are many different reasons for undertaking actions. The self-determination theory places these rea­sons on a continuum reaching from amotivation to extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000). In this continuum, extrinsic motivation differs from intrinsic motivation as the former comes from the outside world and the lat­ter from within the individual. For example, money may be an extrinsic motivator for performing la­bour.

When a person is intrinsically motivated, the activity will result in more positive consequences like fulfillment and joy while non-self-determined motives result in negative consequences (Vallerand & Losier, 1999). Vallerand and Losier also state that individuals are intrinsically motivated to move towards experiences and situations that satisfy three basic psychological needs. These needs are the perception of competence, relatedness and autonomy. A person’s perception of these factors can change as a result of social factors as suc­cess or cooperation. To summarize: social factors can influence people’s perceptions of competence, relatedness and autonomy which in turn influence their level of motivation. The more intrinsic this motivation is, the more positive the consequences will be.

The question is how design can act on people’s perceived levels of competence, autonomy and relatedness to raise their motivations. For this purpose, I have studied theory on ‘Persuasive Technology’ which has led me to the following guidelines for the design of a new running coach.

Perceived competence

When we design to increase people’s perception of competence, we must realize that sometimes there is no increase but a hold or even a decrease in performance. A supporting system should focus on the positive accomplishments of the user, or give explanations of negative results.

1. Emphasize on the positive, not on the negative (Fogg, 2003) (Vallerand & Losier, 1999)

2. Give explanations in case of negative results (Fogg, 2003)

3. Achieve subtlety in the feedback (Intille, S. 2004)

4. Challenge the runner with competition games or goals (Vallerand & Losier, 1999)

Perceived relatedness

The design of a product for runners should try to relate to the runner. For this reason, the product must be personal, tailored to the runner’s individ­ual needs. Another option is to create relatedness through connected technology.

1. Use social comparison in the form of: competi­tion, cooperation or recognition (Fogg, 2003)

2. Tailor the given information to the goals and characteristics of the user (Fogg, 2003)

3. Give the interface a matching personality (Cial­dini, 2001)

4. Don’t try to design too human-like (Fogg 2003)

Perceived autonomy

This psychological need is the most difficult one to address. In most cases, I expect that improving perceived competence and relatedness through technological intervention or mediation will have a negative effect on the perception of autonomy. My guidelines aim to minimize this effect. Perceived autonomy might on the other hand increase as a result of an increased level of competence without a real professional coach. These effects are not clear and may vary across individuals.

1. Give suggestions, not commands (Fogg, 2003)

2. Provide multiple options (Fogg, 2003)

3. Use a cooperative interface style (Fogg, 2003)

4. Give the user a sense of control (Vallerand & Losier, 1999)