Neckio: Motivating Neck Exercises in Computer Workers

Abstract

Neck pain is common among computer workers who may spend too much time in a static posture facing their display. Regular breaks and variety in one's posture can help to prevent discomfort and pain. In order to understand how to support computer workers to do so regularly, we surveyed a convenience sample of computer workers (N = 130) regarding their work habits and their attitudes towards neck exercises at the workplace. The survey showed that they are highly motivated, but not able to comply with a neck exercise program. To address this challenge, we designed Neckio, a system that is aimed at encouraging posture variation and facilitating neck exercises at work. Neckio consists in an interactive application and a wireless angulation sensing appliance that can be mounted on the headset that office workers often use for reasons of privacy. Next to providing an interactive exercise program suitable for the workplace, its design places emphasis on an engaging user experience. We report a short-term user experience valuation of Neckio in an actual office environment (N = 10). Participants rated the overall user experience positively and reported to be intrinsically motivated to do the neck exercises. These results indicate the potential of the Neckio as a behavior change support technology to reduce the risk of developing neck pain in computer workers.