[ExerCube] vs. Personal Trainer: Evaluation of a holistic, immersive, and adaptive fitness game set.

Authors

Publication

Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-15).

Year

2019

Abstract

Today's spectrum of playful fitness solutions features systems that are clearly game-first or fitness-first in design; hardly any sufficiently incorporate both areas. Consequently, existing applications and evaluations often lack focus on attractiveness and effectiveness, which should be addressed on the levels of body, controller, and game scenario following a holistic design approach. To contribute to this topic and as a proof-of-concept, we designed the ExerCube, an adaptive fitness game setup. We evaluated participants' multi-sensory and bodily experiences with a non-adaptive and an adaptive ExerCube version and compared them with personal training to reveal insights to inform the next iteration of the ExerCube. Regarding flow, enjoyment, and motivation, the ExerCube is on par with personal training. Results further reveal differences in perception of exertion, types, and quality of movement, social factors, feedback, and audio experiences. Finally, we derive considerations for future research and development directions in holistic fitness game setups.

Further Studies