may want to take into account how
other runners can inspire and inform
even when they do not run together.
Supporters prefer large, organized
races, as those events are careful to
create settings that cater to supporters
as well as runners. These events act
as a connection between runners
and supporters. In contrast, remote
supporters (i.e., those who stay at
home while their friends or family are
participating in a race) do not get a boost
from the shared environment. While
these supporters do have the desire
to take an active part in the race, it is
difficult for them to maintain focus, as
they have limited influence on the race
and may have a different perception of
space and time than the runners. These
design considerations make designing
technology for remote supporters
We are learning how to design
remote support technology that will
enable friends and family to remotely
cheer their runners on during races.
We do this through the design and
prototyping of custom devices that
enable runners to request help and
supporters to send their support. We are
investigating systems that incorporate
ambient tactile and light input, as many
of our runner interviewees dislike the
headphone-based solutions currently
available on the market. The user
response so far has been positive, with
runners claiming that remote support
created a connection that engaged them
and gave them perceived energy boosts.
Supporters were happy they were able
to help their runner friends and family
even though they could not be present
at the race. Supporters who are also
runners described having vicarious
experiences of the race.
Supporting recall. Another common
problem for runners is reflecting on past
training efforts and race performances.
With GPS watches and mobile running
apps easily available, runners now
have access to extensive data about
their runs. However, we observed that
runners often find it hard to tell stories
about their runs, especially races. The
mental state of a runner is such that
it prevents them from remembering
everything. As a consequence, runners
often mention that they cannot properly
reflect on their past experiences to
improve their performance and training
routines. Currently no technology
supports recall for runners, leaving GPS
they are on their family for support.
For some, running is so important for
their feeling of well-being that they are
upset if they are forced to miss a single
training session. This prompted us to
design technology for dedicated runners
that will fit into the social world of
running. There are two key issues that
emerge from our ethnographic work for
which technology is still lacking.
Support and supporters. Support
means more than just cheering at the
sidelines. The majority of our randomly
chosen sample of supporters at races
were also active runners. Runners
understand each other, so designs
Researchers explaining how to use a remote support device just before a large cross-country
race. Working on the race day entails interacting with users who are stressed and extremely
focused, so demonstration routines need to be rehearsed beforehand.
An alternative approach to visualizing running activities. A map with a watercolor filter that
depicts only salient features in the landscape may facilitate recalling the runner surroundings.
A color map is used to visualize elevation for the track itself.