Motivation and feedback
Having successfully kick-started the Activmobs system among Park Wood residents, the Design Council team knew that the next challenge was to find ways to sustain each individual’s motivation into the longer term.
The team organised two one-day workshops, one about motivation and the other about feedback, bringing together groups of experts in each field to help devise practical solutions and an appropriate rewards system.
The motivation workshop included a service designer, public service motivation experts, the Activmobs personal trainer and a sports psychologist. The feedback workshop brought together a holistic health expert, social software experts, an interface designer from Sony, a sports scientist and a statistician from Kent County Council.
‘The agreement from both workshops was that goals and rewards should be self-selected,’ says Jennie Winhall at the Design Council. ‘Measurement should happen in a way that is relevant to each individual and whatever happens, we should keep it simple, since complexity within the system can lead to reduced participation and increased cost.’
The team’s original idea of Health Miles, like Air Miles, to reward hours of activity or improvements in fitness was considered too complicated too manage, and the experts were worried that mobbers might be put off if they had to undertake extensive quantitative measurement about their activity. Instead, the local GP suggested that perhaps the best measure is whether people feel fitter in themselves. This led the team to develop a ‘well-being chart’, encouraging mobbers to note tangible changes such as improved sleep or greater flexibility.
The workshop members developed this idea further, suggesting that participants could receive a three-month printed statement detailing their improvements. The chart was redesigned into three well-being cards, and completing the cards would make participants eligible for vouchers offering discounts on local products and services or personal training. As well as offering individuals a personal record of their achievements, the cards would also help to measure the success of the project as a whole, enabling local authorities such as Kent County Council to understand better the changing health and lifestyles of their residents.
Having initially shied away from quantitative feedback, it became clear that for some mobbers it could be useful and motivating to measure their success in this way (those trying to lose weight, or attempting to speed up their walk for example).
With help from the Welliemobbers, the team developed prototype systems that were simple, fun and could be used with mobile phones and websites. Comparing their achievements with more informal measurements, such as the number of football pitches or distance to the moon, mobbers could measure their progress in a meaningful or visual way.
‘We learned that each individual has their own micro-motivation for participation, and any rewards system would have to reflect that,’ says Winhall. ‘Instead of trying to design a universal reward system, goals and rewards were developed at different levels to encourage continued participation. Having said that, mobs are groups, so we also extended the rewards idea to offer things for members to aim for as a team.’
Importantly, the team were warned against offering extrinsic motivators such as cash, as it was felt that they could negate a participant’s own intrinsic motivations. Instead, rewards should continue the virtuous circle, encouraging more active and healthy living.
