Sign in to view
member only content

We’ve seen countless initiatives set up to motivate people into completing tasks they may otherwise shy away from. Take SmartyCard’s website that rewards kids with tangible prizes for completing educational games, or Switch2Health, who use a reward-based scheme to motivate children to exercise. However, when choosing how to best motivate an older audience, German-based GetUpp have taken a different approach, focusing on peer pressure rather than rewards. To begin using the GetUpp app, users enter a commitment they would like to meet, such as going to the gym after work. In that case, they would then enter the location of the gym, and what time they should arrive there. Once the commitment is submitted, the user’s friends can vote on whether they believe their companion will succeed in fulfilling it. The user meanwhile, must strive to arrive at their predetermined location at the correct time. If they are successful, they then open the app and submit their coordinates, which are verified using the phone’s GPS. GetUpp will then broadcast this success to the user’s friends. The flip side however, is that it will also broadcast any failures to meet commitments, exposing the user to whatever humiliation their friends choose to bestow upon them. The app is currently available from the App Store. When it comes to motivation, swapping the proverbial carrot for the harsher stick may well provide the extra nudge many people need to ensure they stick to commitments. But GetUpp’s use of location as a way of verifying user’s successes or failures shows once again that the applications for such technology are seemingly limitless. Be it for cataloging typefaces, creating art, asking locals questions or grabbing a bargain, it seems there aren’t any industries that location-based technology can’t be put to good use in. How could you incorporate geo-location functionality to enhance a user-experience? Spotted by: Zachary Love