Running: A Flexible Situated Study

Abstract

This paper describes a situated study of personal informatics applications for running that had to be conducted in a flexible and pragmatic way to adjust for the context of use. A qualitative situated study highlighted important differences in runners' motivations, uncovering markedly different uses and preferences between people who run either for health or for pleasure, but also underscored how the physical nature of the interaction impacted data collection. By adjusting the method to be sensitive to the physical nature of the interaction and the preferences of the participants, a pragmatic situated approach provided insights into how these technologies are actually used.