Ubicomp 2011 - Understanding My Data, Myself: Supporting Self-Reflection with Ubicomp Technologies

Ian Li, Anind K. Dey, Jodi Forlizzi | Ubicomp 2011, Beijing, China

Understanding My Data, Myself: Supporting Self-Reflection with Ubicomp Technologies

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Ian Li, Anind Dey, Jodi Forlizzi


Supporting Self-Reflection

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Personal Informatics Tools

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Ian Li, Anind K. Dey, Jodi Forlizzi | Ubicomp 2011, Beijing, China 4

Pedometer


Number of steps

Sleep quality

Blood glucose level

Location

Electricity usage

Web history

Food consumption

Expenditures

Weight

Driving habits

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What kinds of questions do people ask about their data?

When do people ask these questions?

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6 Kinds of Questions

2 Phases

People transition between phases

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Study Recruitment Advertised on: •  Craigslist •  Study recruitment site •  Quantified Self blog http://quantifiedself.com

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Participants 91 people expressed interest.

Selected 15 participants (P1-15) to interview.

•  Currently using a personal informatics tool

•  Used tool for more than a month

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Types of Data Collected Financial expenditures (3 participants)

Sleep (3)

Weight (2)

Blood glucose level (2)

Exercise (1)

Productivity (1), web history (1), books read (1), and general life events (1)

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Procedure 1-hour interviews in the lab or on Skype

Observed participants using their personal informatics tool.

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Procedure Asked how they reflected on their data. •  What were they looking for? •  What questions did they ask? •  How did they answer their questions? •  What problems did they encounter?

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Analysis Identified the questions people asked about their data.

Affinity diagrams to identify themes.

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6 Kinds of Questions

2 Phases

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6 Kinds of Questions Status History Goals

Discrepancy Context Factors

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Status What is my current status?

P7 looked at her Fitbit pedometer several times a day to check her physical activity level.

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Status History Goal Discrepancy Context Factors


History What happened in the past?

P5 looked at her spending history to check if she was reducing her expenditures.

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Goal What goals should I pursue?

P9 tracked what she ate and her physical activity level to find the cause of her leg cramps, so she can avoid certain foods or not do certain exercises.

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Discrepancy How does my behavior compare to my goals?

P11 compared her current food consumption with the goal she had set for herself.

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Context What other things happened during a particular point in time?

P3 who has diabetes: •  Measured her blood sugar level. •  Kept in mind the food she ate

and her physical activity.

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Factors What influences my behavior over a long period of time?

P2 tracked many types of data over time to control her weight: •  Exercises •  What she ate •  Total calories

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Importance of the Questions Questions are NOT important all the time.

Some questions are more important than others as people’s information needs change.

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Maintenance Phase

Discovery Phase

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Maintenance Phase Participants already know how different factors affect their behavior, so they just want to know what their current status is.

Participants already identified their goals. They are only concerned with whether they are meeting their goal.

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Maintenance Phase Current Status

P13 just tracks the minutes that he spends on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, because he already knows how these sites affect his productivity.

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Maintenance Phase Discrepancy

P1 uses Mint to keep track of her expenditures to see whether she is meeting the budget that she had set for herself.

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Maintenance Phase Most important kinds of questions: Status History Goals Discrepancy Context Factors

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Maintenance Phase Most important kinds of questions: Status History Goals Discrepancy Context Factors

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} Collecting data is easier because fewer types of data are collected.

Tools could provide alerts and suggestions.


Discovery Phase Participants are trying to figure out what their goals are.

Participants collect several types of data to find out what factors affect their behavior.

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Discovery Phase Figuring out goals

P8 tracks the quality of her sleep so that she is better rested. She explores her sleep data to “spot trends for which I can take corrective action.”

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Discovery Phase Finding factors that affect their behavior.

P3 has diabetes and she tracked her blood glucose levels and her food consumption to find out their interaction.

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Discovery Phase Most important kinds of questions: Status History Goals Discrepancy Context Factors

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} Help users collect data over a long period of time.

Help users select the goals that they should pursue.



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} Help users track multiple types of data.

Help users manage all the data that they collect.


Maintenance Phase

Discovery Phase

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Transitions Discovery Maintenance

Discovery P6 initially tracked his blood sugar level, food consumption, and mood.

Maintenance Eventually, he transitioned into just collecting his blood sugar level because he felt like he had control of his diabetes.

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Transitions Maintenance Discovery

Maintenance P7 who has recurrent insomnia tracks her sleep using Fitbit.

Discovery When her insomnia returns, she records the factors that may be causing the problem.

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Transition Problems Some people might have problems transitioning.

P9 tracked multiple types of data to figure out what causes her leg cramps when she sleeps (Discovery).

She still doesn’t know the causes, so she continues to collect data about her sleep and possible causes.

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Summary Identified 6 kinds of questions that people ask about their data.

Described 2 phases when people ask different kinds of questions about their data.

Discussed the transitions between the phases.

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Thank you!

[email protected] http://ianli.com

Funded by

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Ubicomp 2011 - Understanding My Data, Myself: Supporting Self-Reflection with Ubicomp Technologies

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Transcript of Ubicomp 2011 - Understanding My Data, Myself: Supporting Self-Reflection with Ubicomp Technologies