Identifying “Folk-Methods” Employed With Fitness Applications By Users With Chronic Mobility Issues To Improve Application Design

Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with an increasingly ageing population, more chronic fatigue symptoms are being experienced by an increasing number of individuals. People with chronic fatigue symptoms are using physical activity trackers (PA trackers) to self-manage their symptoms. This is in direct contrast to the intended design of these PA trackers, showing that these PA trackers have potential to be used by an entirely different demographic than they are designed for. Existing work has shown the suitability of PA trackers for medical purposes, or the designed intent of PA trackers to be narrow and requiring constant use. This dissertation assesses the specific space of users with chronic fatigue managing their symptoms daily with PA trackers through use or misuse, discussing why these users select these PA trackers and where in these trackers they find value and friction. This work has found that PA trackers have a narrow design scope in direct contrast to the goals of these users, but the trackers are described as being incredibly close to meeting users goals despite the contrast of intent. This shows that current PA trackers are already substantially improving the quality of life of users but could do so even more with small changes to design that reduce or remove the friction users experience.

Date of Award	29 May 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Markel Vigo (Main Supervisor) & Sarah Clinch (Co Supervisor)