The document discusses a study of how 22 individuals use personal tracking technologies like Fitbit and apps to monitor activities like exercise, food intake, sleep. The study found that (1) people selectively track activities and switch between devices, (2) tracking is used for different purposes like motivation, documentation or diagnosis, (3) data is used for short-term goals rather than long-term analysis, and (4) social aspects involve sharing with friends in-person rather than online. Overall, tracking was determined to be an emotional endeavor focused on self-improvement and future goals rather than analysis of past performance.

1. Personal Tracking as
Lived Informatics
John Rooksby, Mattias Rost, Alistair Morrison, Matthew Chalmers
University of Glasgow

2. Personal Tracking
• Physical Devices
• Fitbit, Nike Fuelband, Jawbone Up, pedometers
• Mobile phone apps
• Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal

3. Quantified Self & Personal
Informatics
• Quantified Self - Optimization
• PI: Finance, communication,
photography, travel, etc
• Li et al:
• Preparation, collection, integration,
reflection, action
• “choose what they are going to do with
the newfound understanding of
themselves”

4. Activity Tracking Research
• Research focused on researcher-supplied
technology – not on technology people use
• Do people change behaviour because they use
technology, or do they use technology because they
want to change?

5. Method
• 22 Unstructured Interviews +
follow-up interviews
• 10-90 minutes

6. Participants
• 12M, 10F, 20s (11), 30s (8), 40s (3)
• UK, America, Europe, China, India
• Students, Admins, Finance, Nurse, Unemployed
• Able bodied, 7 runners, 2 training for marathons, 1
cross-country race, serious cyclist, 6 regular sports
players, 8 no exercise but walking, 7 obese, 1 weight-
loss surgery
• Most concerned about weight, all but two on a diet

8. Activities
• Walking
• Physical exercise (running, cycling, swimming)
• Food and Drink
• Weight and size
• Sleep
• Nothing “pretty watch”

9. What to track with what
• Selective Tracking
• Switching between Trackers

10. Styles of tracking
• Directive Tracking
• Documentary Tracking
• Diagnostic Tracking
• Collecting Rewards
• Fetished Tracking

11. Interweaving Trackers
• More than one tracker at once, including crossover
functionality
• Often one tracker per activity
• Not to rationally organize their data

12. Using Data
• Some care about accuracy, others don’t mind
• Some shake their pedometers, some would not

13. Temporality of Data
• Mainly short term. (Should I go for a run?)
• Compare to previous measurement
• Some accrue long-term data, but rarely look at it

14. Social Tracking
• All said they did not share to social networks (but
did among friends)
• Used as a co-present activity
• Symbol of shared outlook (concerned colleagues)

15. Lived Informatics
• Tracking is an emotional endeavour (c.f. Li et al.)
• Tracking is about where you are heading in life –
not where you have been
• Not doing data analysis about their bodies – but
doing something deeply emotional and often
passionately focused on a future

16. Thanks
• http://www.softwarepopulations.com/
• @johnrooksby, @rrostt, @MorrisonAJ
• http://rost.me
Personal Tracking as Lived Informatics
John Rooksby, Mattias Rost, Alistair Morrison, Matthew Chalmers

18. Design implications?
• People are not rational data scientists -> look at app
use
• Social Tracking -> consider co-presence rather than
social media sharing
• Support interweaving besides integration
• Evaluate more than improvements in activity ->
consider emotionality, hope, and fun
• Attend to the physicality