A big Thank You to Dr. Sumin Fang and Dr, Marcella LaFever for their recent participation in the annual two-minute microlecture challenge organized by the UFV Office of Research, Engagement and Graduate Studies.
Are you a user of fitness apps? Have you finally found one that meets your needs? Check out this two-minute video to learn about your “relationship” with your app 🙂
Thank you to Dr. Sumin Fang for telling us about her recently published research on User Experience (UX) of mobile fitness technology. Her article applies a public relations theory to examining humanlike relationships between users and their fitness apps. She argues that scholarship on how to establish and maintain good quality relationships with publics applys equally to users relationships with technology. Sumin’s work provides empirical evidence that human-like relationships exist along with what the relationship outcomes are. There is also a predictability element as to which users are likely to become long-term adopters of particular fitness apps. Finally, this project explores what particular technology features facilitate the sense of companionship for users.
On a slightly different note, Dr. LaFever told us about her ongoing project related to diversity and inclusion in public dialogue and decision-making. With the help of her student Research Assistant Caitlin Garfias-Chan they collected data from municipality websites throughout British Columbia looking at the existence, the visual promonance, and the methods of engagement used in public engagement portals. You can read more about the project in a previous blog post but now, you have here a short audio explanation that highlights where the project needs to go next.
To check out more of the 2022 microlecture series you can find all the participant videos here.