Goal Getters ™

1. Goal Getters™ A Persuasive Mobile Phone Application Designers: Angela Booker Amy Stone Brian W. Tobin Design Challenge To design a mobile phone application that effectively motivates young students to achieve their goals. Time limit: 12 hours Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

2. Goal Getters™ Persuasive Purpose: • To effectively use the affordances of cellular phone technology to help students achieve their goals • Methods: • Organization of goals • Social motivation • Encouragement Industrial Design Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

3. User Description General User Description: Middle school students who are participating in a goal-setting program with teacher and parental support. Targeted User Description: Low-performing students whose parents have limited time to adequately monitor their children’s progress towards academic goals. Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

4. Design Process Group brainstorming • Discussion • “Snapshots” Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

5. Design Processcontinued Thematic Mapping • Features • Functions • Types of persuasion Prototyping User Testing Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

6. Features/Functionality Goals • Organization of steps • Suggested Goals, Suggested Steps, Customizable • Photo annotation of completed steps • Progress updates visible to teachers and parent Stepping Stones • Tokens received after every few steps or days of working towards goals • Ringtones, Games, Pictures, Songs, Flash Movies Goals Group • Virtual social and/or work group • Interact with group of peers • Send and trade Stones • Send selected notes of encouragement • Send guarantees to complete tasks • Call Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

7. Storyboard: Wesley After School Wesley is a seventh grader who is working on a essay about his local congressman. For the last two weeks, he has been successfully using Goal Getters. Today, upon turning on his phone, he receives a pop-up message from Goal Getters, praising and rewarding him with a Stepping Stone for working so diligently towards his goals. He chooses to open his new Stepping Stone, and is excited by the new ring tone he hears…one that he’s been coveting for weeks. The ring tone automatically saves in the Stepping Stone chest, where Wesley can later trade it with his Goals Group. Wesley is automatically directed into his Goals folder where he finds the steps he needs to work on to finish his essay. He decides to start organizing his outline. Forty-five minutes later, Wesley completes his outline, checks off a step on his list, and snaps a photo of it to log his progress so his parents and teachers can see he’s finished a step. The photo can also add to a visual portfolio of his work. Wesley brings up his Goals Group to see who else is working on their various goals. He sees that his friend, Cowvaccuum (Dan) is working, and selects a note of encouragement to send to him. Wesley’s parents arrive home from work later that night and congratulate him on finishing his outline. Proud of himself, Wesley happily shares his work with his parents and together they talk about his next steps, Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

8. Prototype of Goal Getters Background: A middle school student has already entered goals into a database with the help of a teacher and/or parent. The student has a digital mobile phone that is loaded with Goal Getters software and has a camera attachment. The student knows that they should keep Goal Getters running when they are working towards their goals. From the top screen, students have the choice to enter or review their goals and related steps, access their Goals Groups, or access their Stepping Stones. Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

9. Prototype: Goal and Step Setting Students either choose from their current goals or add a new goal and create manageable steps to accomplish these goals. Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

10. Prototype: Goal and Step Completion Once students complete a step, they check it off in their goals folder and snap a photo of it which will automatically be sent to their database files. Both their teacher and parents will be alerted that they have completed this step. The photo serves as a way for teachers to verify that this step has been completed, as well as serving as a visual log of their progress. The unique use of a camera is also meant to be a motivator for students and can be creatively employed. Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

11. Prototype: Goals Group A student chooses (or is assigned) other students to be in their Goals Group. These students can either be progressing towards a similar goal, thereby creating a ‘working group’, or, they could just serve as a support and motivating network. The Goals Group functions somewhat like an AOL Buddy List, but communication is focused around encouragement, motivation, and cooperation. Within a Goals Group, students can select and send notes of encouragement to each other, send guarantees to complete tasks, and send and trade Stones. They can also dial each other directly. Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

12. Prototype: Stepping Stones Stepping Stones are rewards for successful work done towards a goal. They take the form of ring tones, song downloads, icons, and animations. We believe that Stepping Stones will become a hot commodity for Goal Getter students and they will be motivated to stay on task in order to collect as many Stones as possible. Once students have completed their goals, they will be able to trade their Stones or send them to the Goals Group as encouragement. Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

13. Theoretical Justifications Rewards • Motivation-- Stepping Stones motivate students to complete goals • Reciprocation – Students feel indebted after receiving a cool reward Leveraging Social Influence • Social Facilitation - People perform better when others are around • Social Awareness – Knowing that others are participating, not alone • Group Communication – Encouragements, trades, calling, communicating in a unique way • Recognition – Parents and teachers can follow and praise or comment on your progress Increased Self-efficacy • Showing students’ progress helps them realize their progress • Receiving rewards and encouragement should increase self-confidence Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

14. Theoretical Justificationscontinued Intrinsic Motivation • Curiosity – New cell technology, stones as competition, and interest in what others are doing • Control – Students can personalize goals and screens • Challenge – Can you complete these clearly defined steps within your personally set timeline Organization • Cognitive benefits of clearly outlined steps, chunking Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

15. Success!? Success is obvious from: • Students are successfully accomplishing goals • Students become accustomed to sharing their progress with parents and foster a communication loop • Increased social communication around achieving goals • Vast collection of Stepping Stones and a trading culture. Move over, Magic and Pokemon! Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

16. Results of User Testing Parent/Youth Worker Feedback Name: Alvin Age: 54 Status: Parent City: East Palo Alto Name: Natalia Age: 31 Status: Youth Worker City: East Palo Alto What they want to add: • Parent awareness and interaction -See student’s task list on their own phone -Select pre-drafted messages to send student to motivate and to participate What they want to change: • Utilize graphic interface, less text What they like: • Use of cell phone -Most people have them, regardless of SES -Can provide quick way for working parents to get connected with their children’s schooling and to communicate Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

17. Results of User Testing Youth Feedback Name: Vili Age: 11 Grade: 7 City: East Palo Alto Name: Anthony Age: 13 Grade: 7 City: East Palo Alto What they want to add: • Want option to customize home screen • Add ability to call people • Add ability to send e-cards What they want to change: • Change “paper” to “essay” • Stepping Stones: add games • Prefer “Goals Group” to “Buddies” What they like: • Seeing steps to follow right in your phone • Opportunity to encourage friends • Using the camera to track work is “cool” Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

18. Shortcomings of Design • Normative Influence- If students see others are not working, the Goals Group will fail • Users must diligently follow our procedures in order to benefit from the interactions • Crucial elements of motivation rely upon social motivation from parents and teachers • Extra steps for self-motivated individuals who already employ successful strategies Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org

19. Expansion - What else is possible? • Expanding user audience to high school and college students • Develop a personal web page that automatically links to your goals list and your phone • Build competitive groups into the Goals Group screen • Developing interventions for non-compliant users • Build in a self-reflection process for students to better understand effective personal strategies • Automatically parse syllabus to add goals and steps to students’ Goal Getters • Use Goal Getters for non-academic goals Stanford University, Fall 2002 Ed 225xs “Persuasive Technologies and Education” www.captology.org