The idea of collecting data to inform self-improvement isn’t new; however, only recently this concept has taken off due to the development of new technologies that make it simpler than ever to gather and analyse personal data. The development of smartphones has also enhanced this movement by incorporating sensors and quantifiable self-tools such as a camera, gyroscope, GPS, and accelerometers; so it is no surprise that many self-tracking tools are in the form of apps.
This rapidly growing movement involves a process of discovery and learning more about yourself: body fat percentage, sleep patterns, mood changes, blood pressure, calorie intake etc. Health and fitness fans, techno-geeks, or chronic patients buy gadgets and apps that provide them with constant visual feedback and the opportunity to share specific information with friends and compare progress.
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Despite the buzz around this movement, self-tracking still has a long way to go in order to consolidate all of its potential. The constraints/challenges that I consider more prominent are: Endorse/Conquer credibility: As publicized in this article (Has mobile health monitoring hit a wall?), the American Medical Association does not have a third-party approval or an endorsement process for mobile apps. The Director of Publicis Life Brands Medicus says that many patients don’t trust the apps; that they aren’t perceived as having as much credibility or being authentic resources compared to those that are typically governed by the FDA. Easy to use: According to the study presented in this article article, only 7% of patients use mobile technology to monitor their health. A study (The New York QS Meetup Survey) about the self-tracking system features (http://quantifiedself.com/) reveals that the ability to export, visualize, and easily use the data were the most important features that appealed to users. A focus in developing these particular features can create a competitive advantage for digital-health companies who provide options that can compete with the convenience and familiarity of a notebook. Make it insightful and actionable: The focus should not be on producing and aggregating all sorts of numbers, but about transforming the data into actionable and meaningful information in order to achieve better health. This focus gives rise to the need for standardized metric data across different platforms, and for data to be collated from various tools into a single view in order to correlate and enhance the information. Spark the motivation: Apps must do more to keep users engaged and provide an incentive to use them, as the promise of better health isn’t enough for many people to get started. Self-tracking systems can be woven together with social networks, mobile and gaming; using the lessons of behavioural economics to keep users motivated enough to meet any health goals they’ve set for themselves.
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