Using new communication technologies and social media interaction to improve the motivation of users to exercise

MULAS, FABRIZIO;PILLONI, PAOLO;MANCA, MATTEO;BORATTO, LUDOVICO;CARTA, SALVATORE MARIO

2013-01-01

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Abstract

The number of communication technologies and devices from which users can access information has rapidly increased. Moreover, users now have the chance to interact through social media channels, in order to share what they like and what they are experiencing in their everyday life. Both these aspects influence the design and development of Human-Computer Interaction applications that aim at motivating users to exercise more. In fact, the possibility to manage the exercising activity from different types of devices and the possibility to interact with other users, can increase the motivation of a user to exercise more. This paper presents a persuasive web application for sport and health, designed to motivate people in their exercising activity. The innovative aspect of our application is the possibility to use on a web browser some features previously available only through a mobile application. Moreover, it allows a richer interaction with the Facebook social network. Preliminary results show how different types of devices and new communication networks can be integrated, in order to improve the user experience and motivate users to a more active lifestyle.