Goal-setting considerations for persuasive technologies that encourage physical activity

Goal-setting has been shown to be an effective strategy for changing behavior; therefore employing goal-setting in persuasive technologies could be an effective way to encourage behavior change. In our work, we are developing persuasive technologies to encourage individuals to live healthy lifestyles with a focus on being physically active. As part of our investigations, we have explored individuals' reactions to goal-setting, specifically goal sources (i.e., who should set the individual's goal) and goal timeframes (i.e., over what time period should an individual have to achieve the goal). In this paper, we present our findings related to various approaches for implementing goal-setting in a persuasive technology to encourage physical activity.