Authors:
Klemens Weigl
1
;
2
;
3
;
Sabrina Schuster
3
and
Andreas Riener
3
Affiliations:
1
Department of Psychology, Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany
;
2
Department of Psychology, DHGS German University of Health and Sport, Berlin, Germany
;
3
Human-Computer Interaction Group, Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI), Esplanade 10, 85049 Ingolstadt, Germany
Keyword(s):
Outdoor Cycling, Smartphone Apps, eSports, User Experience (UX), Flow, Motivation.
Abstract:
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a dramatic increase in mHealth application (app) downloads has been documented. However, overall dwell retention for fitness apps is low, so gamification techniques are used within apps with the goal of positively influencing the user experience and ultimately the user’s motivation. The so-called flow, which is related to intrinsic motivation, has been little explored in the context of cycling apps. Therefore, we conducted a quasi-experimental cycling study with 34 cyclists (20 female, 14 male; 19 to 57 years old) who tested the adidas Running by Runtastic (Adidas Runtastic), Komoot, and Strava cycling apps during a 20-minute bike ride. After testing each cycling app, they completed the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) and the Flow State Scale-2 Short (FSS-2S). Our results showed no significant differences across the six factors of the UEQ, nor across the total score of the FSS-2S. Thus, we conclude that the three cycling apps Adidas Runta
stic, Komoot, and Strava are perceived and rated almost equally by female and male cyclists.
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