Type of Publication: Article in Journal

Situated Artifacts Amplify Engagement in Physical Activity

Author(s):

Keppel, Jonas; Strauss, Marvin; Haliburton, Luke; Weingärtner, Henrike; Dominiak, Julia; Faltaous, Sarah; Gruenefeld, Uwe; Mayer, Sven; Woźniak, Paweł W.; Schneegass, Stefan

Title of Journal:

Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference

Volume (Publication Date):

2025 (2025)

Keywords:

situated artifacts, physical activity, motivation, self-reflection, field study

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

doi:10.1145/3715336.3735690

Link to complete version:

https://doi.org/10.1145/3715336.3735690

Citation:

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Abstract

In the context of rising sedentary lifestyles, this paper investigates the efficacy of “Situated Artifacts” in promoting physical activity. We designed two artifacts that display users’ physical activity data within their homes – one physical and one digital. We conducted a 9-week, counterbalanced, within-subject field study with N = 24 participants to assess the impact of these artifacts on physical activity, reflection, and motivation. We collected quantitative data on physical activity and administered daily and weekly questionnaires, employing individual Likert items and standardized instruments, as well as conducted interviews post-prototype usage. Our findings indicate that while both artifacts act as reminders for physical activity, the physical artifact was superior in terms of user engagement. The study revealed that this can be attributed to the higher perceived presence and, thereby, enhanced social interaction, which acts as a motivational source for activity. In this sense, situated artifacts gently nudge toward sustainable health behavior change.