Our Motivator: A Virtual Garden (with flowers) |
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Woggers of the world unite! We’re loving the like minds over at Fitbit, even if their diminutive health monitor has gotten tangled up in production. The nifty personal device — a hybrid pedometer and Nike+ doohickey — “keeps track of your movement, distance traveled and calories burned.” Then get this: the wearable sensor provides simple, real-time feedback using a flower metaphor. Naturally, healthy activities equal a healthy plant. And six-pack abs! The Garden, our ambient gaming overlay, clearly had a similar muse (we’ve even gleaned a bit of our philosophy from the article’s own BJ Fogg).
But since we Baxters find the most power in the collective, we’re looking forward to seeing how Fitbitters can leverage a Nike+ style community. As we iterate our signature product, for instance, we’re continually discovering unexpected value in spontaneous relationships between Gardeners. With overlapping social media functions — adding friends, creating teams, challenging others — the Fitbit would be a exemplary motivator in this wacky growing industry of Applied Gaming. |
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