Bloom: Data Physicalization for Motivating Older Adults for Physical Activity

Current self-tracking technologies can help people monitor their physical activity, thereby supporting their health and well-being. They focus on quantified, numerical data and on visualizing them on small screens, requiring intentional actions to access data that would otherwise be hidden. In general, they have been designed keeping young and able adults in mind and have a low uptake among older adults. Data physicalizations are emerging as an engaging way to promote physical activity, but their applicability to older adults has not yet been explored. This research thus explored the potential of data physicalizations to promote physical activity among older adults. We developed Bloom, an ambient data physicalization of physical activity data that can be easily deployed in household environments. We deployed Bloom with eight participants and evaluated it through a four-week field study. Bloom was positively received by older adults (N=8), and the results revealed that it increases awareness and stimulates self-reflection, action, engagement and social interaction (N=5).