12 INDUSTRY & TECHNOLOGY Fitness Tracking: Which Device Lives up to its Hype? Maggie Scott Graduate Researcher Gianna Castano Undergraduate Researcher Maggie and Gianna are students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. Introduction The competition never ends with technological companies fighting for their products to be purchased by users. Furthermore, wearable tech, such as fitness trackers, is on the rise and will become integral to life on-the-go in the near future. College students are always busy trying to balance 20 things at once; two of those things are being healthy and being notified about academic and social updates. The term "fitness tracker" may sound like it limits the scope of what the watch can do. Still, fitness trackers such as Garmin, Apple Watch, Fitbit, and Xiaomi effortlessly complement a busy college student's life due to all of the other convenient functions they possess. So, what constitutes a fitness tracker? What makes a smartwatch more than just a fitness tracker? What do college students find desirable in products like these? We asked college students why they
use their fitness tracker and what features they like and dislike. We chose to focus on the Apple Watch and the Fitbit due to their popularity and their connections to iPhone and Android users. Review of Apple Watch For a whopping $400, a student can buy an Apple Watch that motivates them through workouts along with staying connected with people. The watch's capabilities include recording calories burned, sleep monitoring, flights of stairs climbed, heart rate, and exercise ranging from walking to wheelchair distance traveled. "Closing your rings" provides the user with a sense of completion and satisfaction. The three distinctly colored rings represent the user's daily activity goals, and completed rings signify that the user has achieved their move, standing, and/or exercise goals. The watch then prompts the user if they want to reach newer, harder goals for next week. We asked survey respondents about their opinions of their Apple Watch. Some of the primary reasons people use the Apple Watch are because it is compatible with their iPhone and does more than track activity and exercise. Users can utilize Apple Pay and activate Siri, amongst other features. Features perceived as most important by the majority of respondents are the ability to connect to Bluetooth to receive calls, messages, and email notifications. >>Continued on page 13 Image Courtesy/ Fitbit