Becoming Your Quantified Self: A Study of the Effects of Personal Avatars in Self-Tracking Sports Apps

Birnstiel S, Reiß S, Fernández Galeote D, Dümler B, Morschheuser B (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction Taylor & Francis

Pages Range: 1-28

DOI: 10.1080/10447318.2025.2573042

Open Access Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2573042

Abstract

Following the Quantified Self (QS) movement, sports apps increasingly adopt self-tracking technologies that offer data-driven insights into personal competencies to enhance self-efficacy. However, sustained engagement with QS technology remains challenging, as interpreting data is complex. One potential solution is to make QS data more meaningful to users. To address this, we present a player card feature within a QS sports app, incorporating a personalized avatar to enhance users’ enjoyment, data meaningfulness, and self-efficacy to promote continued use. We evaluate the app through a field experiment in a soccer context to examine the impact of the avatar feature. Results indicate that avatar identification positively affects self-efficacy, data meaningfulness, continued use intention, and enjoyment, though enjoyment did not impact continued use. Our findings suggest that (1) avatar identification can be enhanced through personalization, (2) personalized avatars effectively boost self-efficacy, and (3) sustained engagement may rely more on meaning than on enjoyment alone.

Authors with CRIS profile

Sandra Birnstiel Assistant Professorship of Information Systems (Gamification) - endowed by adidas

Involved external institutions

Adidas AG DE Germany (DE) Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Birnstiel, S., Reiß, S., Fernández Galeote, D., Dümler, B., & Morschheuser, B. (2025). Becoming Your Quantified Self: A Study of the Effects of Personal Avatars in Self-Tracking Sports Apps. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2573042

MLA:

Birnstiel, Sandra, et al. "Becoming Your Quantified Self: A Study of the Effects of Personal Avatars in Self-Tracking Sports Apps." International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction (2025): 1-28.

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