Reconsidering the Device in the Drawer: Lapses as a Design Opportunity in Personal Informatics

People stop using personal tracking tools over time, referred to as the lapsing stage of their tool use. We explore how designs can support people when they lapse in tracking, considering how to design data representations for a person who lapses in Fitbit use. Through a survey of 141 people who had lapsed in using Fitbit, we identified three use patterns and four perspectives on tracking. Participants then viewed seven visual representations of their Fitbit data and seven approaches to framing this data. Participant Fitbit use and perspective on tracking influenced their preference, which we surface in a series of contrasts. Specifically, our findings guide selecting appropriate aggregations from Fitbit use (e.g., aggregate more when someone has less data), choosing an appropriate framing technique from tracking perspective (e.g., ensure framing aligns with how the person feels about tracking), and creating appropriate social comparisons (e.g., portray the person positively compared to peers). We conclude by discussing how these contrasts suggest new designs and opportunities in other tracking domains.