Problem

Fitness tracker stakeholders are seeking to gain a deeper understanding of wearable tech users through research. To determine the motivations and data sought our team performed a series of nine interviews.

Approach

Planning Document & Research Protocol
We first developed a research protocol. This document is used to ensure consistent questions are asked the team members evaluating users so that data collected is similar and can be analyzed and synthesized. Questions asked ranged from basic usage motivations to expectations regarding data collected. The research protocol was updated for the second round of interviews to help streamline questions and be more pointed in the organization of theme sections when interviewing participants.

Interviews
We conducted a series of interviews with target users. These interviews were conducted digitally using zoom, a web conferencing application. The initial study included interviews with six fitness tracker users. An additional three participants were recruited to help us confirm and enhance our initial findings. Details regarding each interview can be found in the observation data section of the project planner.

Analyze & Synthesize Research Data
Using interview patterns spreadsheets, linked above, and then compiling that data into an affinity map, we were able to discover trends in each task like key motivations for using the device and app, changes to lifestyle and behavior, how they use the data collected, and pain points or frustrations.

Create Jobs, Journeys & Persona
A persona was created to emulate the collective learnings of our test participants and act as the ideal fitness watch user. Information included are demographics, tasks, goals, and pain points. This person’s jobs-to-be-done is also outlined in the creation of the persona.

A journey map was created to provide an informative, comprehensive overview of the persona’s journey, specifically relating to acquiring, adopting, and using a fitness tracker.

Results

Recordings of the user interviews were reviewed and data was compiled into a comprehensive document of research notes and findings. These notes helped us to discover similar themes that emerged from our interviews. Themes discovered are:

How do fitness trackers motivate users?

• Key motivations: tracking activity vs. data collected for long-term improvement

• Changes to lifestyle or behavior

• How does the social aspect and rewards system motivate users

Why do user interact with the device? And, how is the data collected used?

• Users seek activity reminders, exercise tracking and baseline data

• Basic data like heart rate, calories burned and sleep tracking are most sought.

• Telling time, aka using the watch as a watch was a popular feature for users.

Why do users utilize the app? And, what are advantages/disadvantages?

• Tracking improvement and progress

• Goals and challenges are set on the app. I can track whether I meet or complete challenges.