RESEARCH ARTEFACT

INTERACTION DESIGN X FITNESS

When observing interaction design, there can be ethical issues involved within work, that can be picked out an analysed. To begin, it is clear that when we design interaction, we create assumptions about how it will be used. IT is very important for to incorporate assumptions into interaction design; however, it is how the assumptions are created that raises ethical issues and disputes. For’ for the example, it is critical to question whether representations are “better or worse”(Smith, n.d.) for the users. This means that the assumptions being made may not be tailored towards every user’s needs.

When studying interaction design within the world of fitness, it is clear that there are multiple interfaces such as, websites and applications that target health

EXAMPLES

An example of this is the Whoop membership, which contains an interactive watch and an application to work with. After purchasing the membership for £27 a month, members receive these interactions for free, which allows them to be coached directly from their device, with unlimited access to data and updates. What’s more, to create a social environment, users receive access to progress assessments, which creates a global network of members. An evident benefit of this interaction is that it enables members to match with others who have similar goals or lifestyles to keep motivation levels high. Pricing is also a positive, as it is affordable for the large majority, creating a better social environment.

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Furthermore, additional competitors have been introduced into the fitness industry, through the usage of interaction design.

Another example of this is the peloton bike, which includes a HD touch screen, and allows users to attend online fitness classes. An evident benefit of this interaction is that it allows users to achieve their fitness goals from the comfort of their home. Moreover, another benefit of this interaction is that it permits users to socialise and interact with other users, whilst working out virtually. However, as the starting price of a peloton bike is £1,345, it is clear that this interactive experience is targeted at high-income households. This alienates low-income households and could prevent fitness goals from being met within the community.

INTERFACES UP CLOSE

Outdoor gyms have existed in multiple countries across the world and are easy to interact with. They contain basic gym equipment and is free to use for the public. This is a great benefit as no money has to be spent when committing to a workout, which motivates.

more people to attend the gym. This creates a better environment where people are working out without having to worry about monthly payments. However, outdoor gyms can cause for more anxiety and fear of the gym, as exposure to people will be higher than indoor gyms.

HISTORY

“The history of interaction design, then, is painted by a constant and rapid growth of technology and then a struggle to make that technology behave.”

Computers in the past where simply viewed as “machinery for computing”(Winograd, 2004) and were used to complete basic tasks such as “breaking codes”. This was a big breakthrough in technology as previously it needed, “huge quantities of computation to be done”. Additionally, later, when the internet was created, it was only used “for facilitating remote computation”(Winograd, 2004). However, as time has progressed, the computer became a means “to communicate with other people” (Winograd, 2004) across and throughout the world. When mentioning the word interface, it is important to state that the designer is “focusing on two entities, the person and the machine.” (Winograd, 2004)

The history of fitness was first documented in 6000 BC, within ancient Chinese writing, which suggested weight throwing and lifting. Around 600 BC, the ancient Greeks created the earliest form of the gymnasium and the Olympics, which included footrace and javelin throw. In 1885, the fitness industry had begun, and the first physical culture centre had been opened which included “a pulley system, heavy dumbbells, inclined parallel bars and weighted barbells.”(Parrott, 2020) Exercise then became widespread, as Desbonnet began “writing many exercise – related journals and books.”(Parrott, 2020) The fitness industry continued growing as the first treadmill was created in the mid 1900s alongside stationary bikes. This then evolved as in the early 2000s, business began merging fitness and interfaces together to create a fun experience for users around the world. For example, The Nintendo Wii and EA Sport Active. During this time, phone developers recognised the potential of fitness and technology, and started creating applications that could benefit fitness globally. Inevitably, this led to the development of smart watches, such as the apple watch, assisting users with their fitness journeys and overall health, by giving useful information, such as heart rate and blood pressure.

Within a gym environment, infographics have existed to illustrate the correct techniques for the user. It is clear that when observing these infographics, that they heavily support the user, as they are clear with how to use the machine. The infographic is further improved by the addition of arrows which portray to the user the direction in which the movement should be heading. From a new gym users’ perspective, this can potentially support them with the basic understanding of certain equipment, which prevents injury and creates an inviting environment for gym users. Improvements that can be adjusted with infographics, are by adding more graphics from different angles to give users more detail of how the exercise is executed. infographics have now been placed within interactive applications so that users may view them before entering a gym environment. Infographics have now also been substituted for interactive videos, which illustrate a greater amount of detail for the user. An example of this would be on the CentrFit app, where videos of different exercises are shown from different angles with the correct form. The motivation to do the workout is higher, as the user can complete the workout with the timed video playing.

Interaction design is a field where improvement is an on-going cycle for the designer. This is due to there being constant software updates, which introduce new functions and design abilities that the designer can utilise to improve on their current work. This can include new buttons, features, animations, and 3D. This digital function allows for thousands of versions to be designed and altered, which differs from print work. This is because when work is printed, it cannot be edited or worked on, rather it is complete.

Additionally, this means that interaction design will always be improving within gym environments, to enable a better training experience for the customers. For example, AI will be implemented within fitness interfaces such as wearables, to create more centre and personalised feedback so that training becomes easier

The Fit Quest machine is an interactive piece of equipment that is placed in various gym environments. It allows for gym users to figure out their body composition measurement and give an overall fitness assessment. After stepping on the machine, barefoot with hands placed on the rails, the user can select the test of their desire and follow the instructions on the interface to complete the assessment. A result will then be given to the user, whereby the user will then be able to track and fix certain elements within the goals that they have set themselves. A strong benefit of this interactive machine is that it is easy to use and can complete an entire assessment within only 4 minutes.

The future of interaction design in gyms will be placed in smart gyms and will be innovative and motivating for gym users. An example of this interactivity will be used in gyms by implementing smart mirrors, which will help coach, monitor, and motivate users. The idea behind interactive smart mirrors is that it gives users the ability to use both of their hands whilst directly gaining information from the mirror opposite to them. This is advantageous, as using a phone to interact and monitor can interrupt a user’s workout routine. Moreover, smart mirrors propose a greater reason to be used within the near future, as they support users with scale. When using a phone for interactive coaching, the videos or images presented do not illustrate scale to the user, which can cause confusion. The smart mirror will directly use the users body compositions and will be placed opposite to them to help support with any mistakes within the exercises. One problem with the smart mirror is that it can show sensitive information that other gym users will be able to see, which eradicates the idea of privacy. This may propose the phone to be preferable as it provides users with the ability to keep information concealed.

REFERENCES

Hippocrate, A.A.E., Luhanga, E.T., Masashi, T., Watanabe, K. and Yasumoto, K., 2017, September. Smart gyms need smart mirrors: design of a smart gym concept through contextual inquiry. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing and Proceedings of the 2017 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers (pp. 658-661).

Smith, G.C., 2007. What is interaction design. Designing interactions, pp.8-19

Winograd, T., 1997. From computing machinery to interaction design. New York.

West, J.H., Hall, P.C., Hanson, C.L., Barnes, M.D., Giraud-Carrier, C. and Barrett, J., 2012. There’s an app for that: content analysis of paid health and fitness apps. Journal of medical Internet research, 14(3), p.e72.

Löwgren, J. and Stolterman, E., 2004. Thoughtful interaction design: A design perspective on information technology. Mit Press.

Parrott, M., Ruyak, J. and Liguori, G., 2020. The history of exercise equipment: from sticks and stones to apps and phones. ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal, 24(6), pp.5-8.

IMAGES

4.0, whoop (no date) Whoop. Available at: https://www.whoop.com/en-gb/ (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

bike, peloton (2012) Peloton bike, onepeloton. Available at: https://www.onepeloton.co.uk/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=portfolio&gclid=CjwKCAjwvdajBhBEEiwAeMh1U8KgF0K9Mt0XgmCh78J1rlGuRUSxnZ9QS1f8OnblUxnCcwMNweqbghoCJ8cQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

fitness, M. (no date) Matrix, Matrix Fitness. Available at: https://www.matrixfitness.com/uk/eng (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Airfit (2020) Outdoor gym, Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-squat-rack-at-an-outdoor-gym-6150623/ (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Pixabay (2016) software, Pexels. Available at: https://www.pexels.com/photo/turned-on-computer-monitor-displaying-text-270360/ (Accessed: 25 January 2023).

Daniel, R. (2017) Smart mirror, Aesthetics of Design. Available at: https://www.aesdes.org/2017/03/14/prototype-design-review-smart-mirror/ (Accessed: 25 January 2023).