30lbs of Family Visits, Races, and Games

30 lbs of family visits, races & games

Julie Price

2011 2012 2013 2014

Net change - 1 - 2 + 12 + 1

Range 13 11 16 16

2011 2012 2013 2014

Gained during

family visits

+ 17 + 5 + 11 + 17

Long Races 4 6 2 1

New weight

loss tactics

2 1 3 2

By Year

Family Visits, Races, Tactics

Family Visits: +50 lbs

Marathons & ½ Marathons

Games & Weight Loss Tactics

1. 5 Fruits + Veggies = Prize

50 day challenge for a prize

• Eat 5 fruits & veggies for 50 days

• Each failure requires a roll of a die

to add # of days to challenge

First game: lost 8 pounds

App to count to 5

each day

5 Fruits + Veggies = Prize

App to count to 5

each day

50 day challenge for a prize

• Eat 5 fruits & veggies for 50 days

• Each failure requires a roll of a die

to add # of days to challenge

First game: lost 8 pounds

Second game: Novelty wore off

2. I Can Make You Thin

Goal: Push the Panic Button

My only goal was to push the

Panic button,, yet I couldn’t

make it happen

Lessons:

• Hot thinking vs Cold thinking:Goals made while calm

don’t necessarily translate to

actions under stress

• The “shoulds”:

Sometimes there’s somethingI should do and I want to do…

but I’m never going to do

3. Saladpalooza

Competition with family

Points for salads

Amazon gift card to weekly winners

Saladpalooza

Competition with family

Points for salads

Amazon gift card to weekly winners

It lasted 3 weeks, fading naturally. Too simple of a gamification.

4. The Kitchen Safe

Lock up chocolate & kill the

inner dialogue

The Kitchen Safe

Lock up chocolate & kill the

inner dialogue

Only works when I use it as I

“should”

Family Visits, Races, Tactics

Snowball into a rut

Created for husband

in May

• From the Fat Farm

to the Skinny City

• Variety of

mechanics

• Friends wanted to

play

Iterated since MayFriends & family play daily

• Iterated for 6 months

• Variety Daily challenge

• Create own rules

• Players challenges others

Lost 10 pounds• Not immune to family

trips / visits

• Social dynamic help

• Change Rules as I play

• Add new challenges

• Expect I’ll need new

mechanics

Lost 10 pounds• Not immune to family

trips / visits

• Social dynamic help

• Change Rules as I play

• Add new challenges

• Expect I’ll need new

mechanics

Building web app and will be beta testing soon

Summary

□ Family visits are a challenge

□ Races help, but don’t solve the problem on their own

□ Novelty wears off, so be aware some things work only once

□ The “shoulds” don’t necessarily translate into action

□ Oversimplified game mechanics don’t work

□ Goal: keep learning & make an impact through Skinny City

Contact Info

Beta testers & collaborators reach out!

[email protected]