Moti Pet Pedometer App

Problem Statement

It’s often hard to get motivated to do things that aren’t fun. It has been shown that for some people, physical activity is one of these disliked activities. However, sufficient exercise is essential for a healthy lifestyle. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends weekly at least 150 to 300 minutes of physical activity. Depending on the physical condition, the amount of activity should be expanded even further. Any type of physical activity is suitable. This includes sports such as running, cycling and swimming, but also everyday exercise in leisure time and at work. Detailed information can be found at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity

Idea and Concept

The idea is a pedometer-app that increases motivation in motion behavior through gamification elements. The core element is a digital pet from a fictional species called Moti. The name is derived from the words motion and motivation. Visually, the Moti is a mixture of axolotl, cat and stegosaurus. Cute appearance plays an important role, too. A Moti needs the energy from steps walked to evolve. Every 1000 Steps, the Level (Lv) goes one up. Upon reaching a certain level, the moti evolves to the next stage (St). It grows larger and changes its appearance. The number of levels needed to reach the next stage – and according to this the amount of steps to collect – is increasing with every stage. Thus, the difficulty level is adjusted with each stage. The gradation was chosen to be high enough to motivate the user to walk more, but not too high, so as not to create frustration due to lack of progress.

Implementation

The prototype of the app was implemented in Adobe XD – with vector graphics previously created in Illustrator – and then programmed in Java using the Android Studio development environment. In a short onboarding tour, the user is picked up at the first app start and introduced to the most important functions. Then one of six Moti eggs can be selected. The choice influences the color of the moti. Later, a new egg can also be selected and a new run can be started. The main task of the user is to collect steps and watch the progress. The home screen shows a head-up display (HUD) next to the Moti, which provides a quick overview of the steps walked, kilometers covered and calories burned every day. Another important component is the journal. This is a small notepad, in which the progress of the user and useful information are automatically noted. The journal can be called up via an icon on the main screen and also takes on the function of the main menu.