MotivAider for Mobile a Behaviour Modification App to Help You Reach Goals
by Paul Wilks
Nov 21, 2011 10:12 AM –
Install
MotivAider for Mobile is a behaviour modification app for Android. It’s essentially an app-version of a separate MotivAider device from Behavioural Dynamics Ltd. In a concise nutshell the app lets you create small reminders that make your device vibrate, and remind you of things you perhaps should be doing- keeping your objectives high on your priority list rather than being neglected and forgotten about.
Price: $3.99
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Let’s you create personal reminders.
- Variety of options.
- Easy to configure.
Cons
- Only lets you modify one behaviour at a time.
- You might have to continue using the app to maintain the behaviour, even after you reach a certain goal.
Features:
MotivAider itself is a very simple principal; small discreet and regular reminders which help you change or modify a particular behaviour. For a very basic example, consider this: if you want to go to the gym more regularly but often find you get distracted, forget or allow other things to get in your way, you’re never going to get down to that gym! With MotivAider, you can set it to frequently remind you via vibrations and notifications to get yourself to the gym. This in turn, conditions your behaviour to think ‘gym’ whenever your phone vibrates in that particular pattern you set, thus reminding you of getting yourself some exercise. Obviously there are more far-reaching and more complex goals possible than visiting a gym, but that’s the stripped-down premise.
The app lets you create personalised tasks in a simple form: Desired Behaviour, Personal Message (perhaps something motivational?), Prompt Pattern, Display message toggle, Time interval, Start Time and Stop Time. Clearly then it’s a doddle to configure- although you might want to have a think about what will be best for you. The downside to the app is that you can only create and run one habit-changing task at a time. Our minds are rather brilliant things and they can handle different types of stimuli that can affect our behaviour, not just reliance on one- so it’s a little disappointing that the app only allows for one such task at a time.
Prior to the launch of the app, you could (and still can) get a separate device which performs a similar task. This video explains a little more about the system:
Watch on Mobile
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MotivAider – Splash screen
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MotivAider – Creat new
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MotivAider – Modify
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MotivAider – Reminder frequency
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MotivAider – Notification
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MotivAider – Web link
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MotivAider – Help
Usefulness:
If you find yourself regularly forgetting such priorities, or putting things off, perhaps if your will-power has really bad memory (!), services like MotivAider can help you alter your behaviour in a relatively short space of time. Our brains can get a bit lazy however and easily slip back into unhelpful habits however, so this might mean using the app consistently in order to maintain the good habits. Think about how people might lose weight on a certain diet but put it all back on again when they come off it, you will probably need to keep it up. This said, it’s still an effective means to infuse you with good habits!
Ease of Use:
It’s incredibly simple and easy to configure, and takes just a few moments to be all set up.
Frequently Used:
To get the most out of it, you’ll need to use it very regularly, but there are all manner of settings to allow you to do that.
Interface:
The interface is simplistic but probably not something you are going to use very often once it gets set up- in theory you can feel the vibration, read your personal message and act accordingly. You might find yourself wanting to modify the settings dependent on how you use the app, but the UI is functional and easy to use.