Smartwatch-Based Tailored Gamification and User Modeling for Motivating Physical Exercise: A MaxDiff Segmentation Approach.

Background: Smartwatch-based gamification holds great promise for empowering fitness applications and promoting physical exercise, yet existing empirical evidence on its effectiveness remains inconclusive, partly due to "one-size-fits-all" design approaches neglecting individual differences. While the emerging research area of tailored gamification calls for more accurate user modeling and better customization of game elements, existing studies relied primarily on rating-scale-based measures and correlational analyses with methodological limitations.

Objective: This study aimed to improve smartwatch-based gamification with an innovative approach of user modeling, in order to better motivate physical exercise among different user groups with tailored solutions.