"The More You Give the Wearable, the More It Gives You": How Regular Exercisers Navigate Exercise Using Wearable...

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Consumer off-the-shelf wearables (COTSW) increasingly offer recovery/readiness scores.
• These scores utilize heart rate variability (HRV) for user-friendly interpretation (e.g., percent, color codes).
• Limited research exists on the perceived informational utility of HRV-derived scores and their impact on user adoption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To qualitatively explore user experiences with COTSW and their readiness/recovery scores.
• To understand how individuals interact with and interpret HRV-derived data from wearables.
• To identify factors influencing user adoption and fidelity with wearable-based recovery metrics.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 17 regular exercisers using Whoop™ or Oura™ for ≥3 months.
• One-on-one virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted.
• Data analysis employed reflexive thematic analysis with 'in-vivo' quotes.

Main Results:

• Theme 1: Users experienced validation and reinforcement of lifestyle choices ('It's kinda validating, right?').
• Theme 2: Users showed curiosity and experimented with devices, adjusting behaviors to improve scores ('It's really putting the power in my hands.').
• Theme 3: Users exhibited complex emotional rather than rational responses to scores and interfaces ('more of an emotional response rather than a rational one').

Conclusions:

• COTSW readiness/recovery scores influence user behavior and self-perception.
• Findings highlight the psychological impact of wearable data interpretation.
• Recommendations include enhanced user education and design considerations for positive data interaction.