The three critical factors wearable devices need to succeed

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8 hours ago Feb. 22, 2014 - 10:30 AM PST

At least 10 new wearable devices were introduced at CES in January, from makers such as Sony, Pebble, Meta, LG, Garmin, Razer and more. Yet despite the enthusiasm in the market, the dirty secret of wearables remains: almost all of the current generation of products fail to drive long-term, sustained engagement and behavior change.

Endeavour Partners research recently found that while one in 10 US consumers over the age of 18 now owns a modern activity tracker, one-third of US consumers who have owned a wearable product stopped using it within six months, and more than half of US consumers who owned an activity tracker no longer use it. Consumers are buying them and trying them, but rarely end up relying on them.

Sustained engagement is the key challenge for companies developing wearable devices or complementary services. A surprising percentage of devices fail to achieve even short-term engagement because they suffer from one or more fatal user experience flaws: they break, theyre a pain to sync with a smartphone, the battery doesnt last long enough, theyre ugly and uncomfortable. Any one of these flaws is enough to turn off a user; more than one often lands these devices in a desk drawer or, even worse, the trash. Unfortunately many of the apps, portals and other services that use data from wearables suffer from similar UX problems.

Even if products and services avoid these traps and provide very powerful functionality, they will end up failing in the market if they fail to have a meaningful impact on users behaviors and habits. This dependence on behavior change means that traditional product design criteria are only part of the key to developing successful wearable products and services.

Human behavior is complex, but behavioral science offers three factors that can lead to sustained engagement over the long term.

1. Habit formation. Sustained engagement depends on a device or services ability to help the user form and stick with new habits. Wearable devices have the potential, all too often unrealized, to make the process of habit formation more effective and efficient than ever before. The best engagement strategies for wearables move beyond just presenting data (steps, calories, stairs) and directly address the elements of the habit loop (cue, routine, reward), triggering the deep-seated psychological sequences that lead to the establishment of new habits.

For example, as users of the Basis Health Tracker navigate the initial goal-setting process, the device sets up a sequence of key habit formation elements cues, routines and rewards. Users can unlock the ability to add new habits by acquiring points (reward) after completing a previous goal related to successfully establishing a habit. From here, daily cues, routines and rewards are continuously sequenced to develop habits for better health.

2. Social motivation. To sustain engagement beyond the initial habit formation, a device or service must be able to motivate users effectively. Social connections are a particularly powerful source of motivation that can be leveraged in many creative ways. In addition to using social connections to influence behavior, social media and networking sites can be exploited to alter habits for positive outcomes.

Three key social mechanisms support motivation and broader goal attainment. First, when users are able to share or compete for goals, they are more committed to achieving those goals. Second, social cognitive theory suggests that we learn not just from our own experiences, but also vicariously from those around us. Third, social factors are huge determinants in our overall health. Connecting socially with others is as basic a need as food, water and shelter. The extent to which wearables facilitate social connections has a broad secondary effect on users health and wellness.

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The three critical factors wearable devices need to succeed

Comets Ready for Weekend Doubleheader

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February 21, 2014 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) Missouri Comets INDEPENDENCE, Missouri (February 21, 2014) - The Missouri Comets get ready for the playoffs with a pair games against their Midwest rivals, the St. Louis Ambush and the Milwaukee Wave. Saturday game at home matches the Comets against the St. Louis Ambush, before they head north to Milwaukee for Sunday afternoon tilt with the Wave.

The St. Louis game is the fifth matchup of the season and the final one at the Independence Events Center. So far, the Comets have controlled the series, outscoring the expansion Ambush 90-32 in the four previous games.

Forward Leo Gibson leads the way for the Comets and the entire MISL with 59 points. Against St. Louis, Gibson has scored 15 points including a six-point effort in the last match on January 24th.

St. Louis is in the midst of a six-game losing streak and has had trouble defending their net, giving up an average of 18 points during that span. Goalkeeper Jeff Richey has faced nearly 100 more shots than any other keeper in the league.

Milwaukee currently leads the league with a record of 14-2. Both of their losses have come against the Comets, and they needed overtime to avoid a third loss in the teams' season opener. They are led by Ian Bennett, who is tied with Gibson for the league lead in scoring.

Missouri bolstered their squad at the roster change deadline with the addition of three players. Brendan Allen (GK) and Alain Matingou (D) have been training with the team since the beginning of the season and will provide great depth.

The team also traded with the Pennsylvania Roar for forward Max Touloute. The "Haitian Sensation" played five games for the Roar this season and scored 7 of the team's 21 goals during that span.

Tickets for Saturday's match are available at Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com or the Silverstein Eye Centers Box Office at the Independence Events Center. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:35p.m. CT. Following the match, the Comets will be presented with the I-70 Trophy as the winners of the I-70 series between the Comets and the Ambush.

For group tickets and information call 855.4KC.GOAL or email tickets@kcproscoccer.com.

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Comets double-up on Syracuse in overtime

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February 21, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets The Utica Comets moved one step closer to the Galaxy Cup, with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over the Syracuse Crunch. With the win, the Comets improved to 21-23-3-4, good for 49 points in the standings.

Brandon DeFazio was the overtime hero, as he scored the game winning goal with just 58 seconds left in the game. Nicklas Jensen also scored for Utica, his seventh marker during the month of February, while Cal O'Reilly added two assists. Joacim Eriksson picked up the victory, with 25 saves on 26 shots.

Syracuse got on the board first as Pierre-Cedric Labrie slotted one past Eriksson from the bottom of the right circle to make it 1-0. Phillippe Paradis and Mike Angelidis each picked up assists on the play, after Angelidis forced a turnover in the Utica zone. The tally was just the second of the season for Labrie.

Utica peppered Syracuse netminder Cedric Desjardins with 15 second period shots and were able to knot the score at one with a power-play goal from Jensen, his thirteenth tally of the season. After a scramble in front, Cal O'Reilly got the puck towards the net and found Jensen, who slotted one home from the side of the cage. The goal was the seventh during the month of February for Jensen and his fifth this season with the man advantage, which ties him for a team best. Center Pascal Pelletier also picked up an assist on the play, his team best 32nd.

Neither team was able to take the lead in the third period, despite two close calls for Syracuse. The Crunch thought they had pulled ahead when the puck squirted through Eriksson's crease, but was judged to have not cleared the line. Syracuse thought they had the go-ahead goal a second time, but Luke Witkowski's shot hit the iron, despite an original call of goal on the ice.

The nailbiting three periods set the stage for DeFazio to steal the show and avoid a shootout. The Comets won their second contest in overtime this season as the winger took the back half of a give-and-go feed from O'Reilly and beat a sprawling Desjardins for the game winner. The assist gave O'Reilly his third multi-point game as a Comet, while DeFazio picked up his ninth goal of 2013-14.

Eriksson won his fourteenth game of the season, as the Comets picked up two points towards a Galaxy Cup victory. Utica currently sits with five points from three games against Syracuse, while the Crunch have three. The final meeting of the series takes place on Apr. 5 in Syracuse.

The Comets continue their road swing as they travel to Binghamton tomorrow for a 7:00 pm meeting with the East Division leading Binghamton Senators. The stretch ends on Sunday with a matinee contest in Albany against the Devils. Puck drop for that game is set for 3:00 p.m. at the Times Union Center.

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Comets double-up on Syracuse in overtime

Gameday: Comets at Syracuse

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February 21, 2014 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets UTICA COMETS (20-23-3-4) @ SYRACUSE CRUNCH (18-23-3-5)

War Memorial at Oncenter, 7:05 pm

Radio: 94.9 K-Rock | TV: Time Warner Sports (Ch. 26)

Tonight's Game: The Utica Comets travel up the Thruway to Syracuse for the first meeting in franchise history at the War Memorial at Oncenter. Tonight's action is the second of four straight away from home, with the Comets on the road tomorrow in Binghamton and Sunday in Albany as well.

When They Last Met: The Comets defeated the Crunch 3-1 in front of an electric crowd at The AUD for Pink The Rink night on January 31. Brandon DeFazio, Pascal Pelletier and Darren Archibald each scored for Utica, while Joacim Eriksson turned aside 31 of 32 shots to earn the victory. Defenseman Andrej Sustr scored the lone goal for Syracuse and Cedric Desjardins took the loss with 26 saves.

Comets Outlook: The Utica Comets capped off a three games in three days set with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the Toronto Marlies at the Ricoh Coliseum Sunday afternoon. The Comets rode a penalty killing unit that killed off 8 of 9 Toronto power play opportunities, and Joe Cannata's 25 saves for the victory. With the win the Comets improved to 20-23-3-4, and have collected a point in 11 of its past 14 games. The Comets recorded goals from Jeremy Welsh and Pascal Pelletier. Colin Stuart, Kent Huskins, and Alex Biega picked up the Comets assists.

Crunch Outlook: The Crunch dropped the eleventh out of their past twelfth and fourth straight in a 2-1 defeat to the Norfolk Admirals. Defenseman Dmitry Korobov scored the lone goal for the Crunch, while Chris Wagner and Emerson Etem found the back of the net for Norfolk. John Gibson turned aside all but one of the 29 shots he faced for the victory, while Cedric Paquette took the loss with 25 saves.

The Dream Joacim: Goaltender Joacim Eriksson held the opposition to two goals or less for the seventeenth time this season with his 31 save effort in Utica's 2-1 win over Rochester. The Galve, Sweden native is 14-1-0-2 in such situations. Eriksson leads all Utica goaltenders in wins (14), save percentage (.912) and goals against average (2.68). Eriksson is also tied for second in the AHL with five shutouts.

Ready Or Cannat: Netminder Joe Cannata has recorded victories in each of his past three starts. Cannata has amassed a .946 save percentage over his past four appearances. With the win over Toronto, Cannata is 4-1-0-1 against Canadian opposition, with a .932 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against average.

Alex In Wonderland: In addition to his three game point streak, Alex Biega has five assists over his past five games played. Biega has overtaken teammate Peter Andersson for the team lead in plus/minus this season at +10 and leads all Utica defensemen with 14 assists.

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Gameday: Comets at Syracuse

Comets fall out of MWC race with loss at Tri-County

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WOLCOTT Fridays matchup in Wolcott between Tri-County and Caston had its share of storylines.

Both teams entered with similar records at 10-6 and 11-7, respectively. J.R. Howells team was looking to capitalize on two dramatic wins over Maconaquah and North White last weekend and shake the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde disparity between their sparkling 10-1 home record and 1-6 road record.

A win Friday would mean an opportunity to claim at least a share of the Midwest Conference title at Winamac Tuesday. The Cavaliers started the season 6-0, with three of those victories coming in extra sessions. Since Dec. 21, Tyler Scherers group has cooled off a bit, going 4-6 in that stretch.

The Comets mounted a furious third-quarter comeback after a 16-point deficit. But much like the snow covered fields of western White County, a fourth-quarter meltdown flooded the Comets, as they fell to Tri-County 62-49.

After jumping out to a quick 5-0 lead following Brayton Jellisons 3 in the first, things started to look bleak for Caston. The Cavaliers used second-chance points and free throws to fuel a 14-3 run to close the period, and enjoyed a 22-12 lead. Zack Patton led the way for Tri-County, scoring four of his nine first-quarter points from the line.

A pivotal play opened the second quarter, as Patton was intentionally fouled by Jellison on a 3 attempt and cashed in at the stripe. The ensuing possession saw the Cavaliers open a 16-point lead as fellow senior Kyle Miller drilled a 3 at the 7:14 mark. Fullcourt pressure rattled the Comets, with their senior leader Quentin Douglass on the bench with early foul trouble. Howell made the choice to bring Douglass back in shortly after and it paid off initially. The Comet point guard slashed the Cavalier defense, scoring three consecutive buckets to cut the lead to eight. Miller answered with two devastating 3s to close the half, and extended Tri-Countys lead back to 14.

Caston opened the third with a vengeance, behind consecutive treys by Dustin Offenberger and Jellison. Junior Jake Kingery scored on a layup, and was followed by a bucket and-one by Douglass to cut the lead to one. Caston took its first lead since the opening minutes after two Offenberger free throws. The junior scored 13 points in the game.

The surge didnt stop there, as Offenberger scored again on the and-one, followed by Douglass swipe and layup to extend their lead to six. Douglass led Caston with 17 points.

With Caston now the aggressors, using fullcourt pressure to unravel Tri-County, it was again Miller who answered the call. The senior sharpshooter dialed up two more huge 3s to keep his team alive, ending the Comets 20-0 run in the period. He finished the night with 17 points for the Cavaliers.

Fellow senior Patton followed suit, finishing the quarter with a three of his own and two more free throws to take the lead back at 49-46.

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Comets fall out of MWC race with loss at Tri-County

Those who Know Trust Their Travel to a Pro … call Lisa Beyer at 855 456 4312 – Video

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'Largest ever' trial of adult stem cells in heart attack patients begins

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The largest ever trial of adult stem cell therapy in heart attack patients has begun at The London Chest Hospital in the UK.

Heart disease is the world's leading cause of death. Globally, more than 17 million people died from heart disease last year. In the US, over 1 million people suffer a heart attack each year, and about half of them die.

Heart attacks are usually caused by a clot in the coronary artery, which stops the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. If the blockage is not treated within a few hours, then it causes the heart muscle to die.

The stem cell trial - titled "The effect of intracoronary reinfusion of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) on allcause mortality in acute myocardial infarction," or "BAMI" for short - has been made possible due to a 5.9 million ($8.1 million) award from the European Commission.

The full study involves 19 partners across France, Germany, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic and the UK.

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'Largest ever' trial of adult stem cells in heart attack patients begins

Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Two) What Is The World? A MUST SHARE SERIES! – Video

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Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Two) What Is The World? A MUST SHARE SERIES!
Begin the study of Steps to Knowledge: The Book of Inner Knowing to embark on a universal spirituality and essential preparation for engagement with intellig...

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Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Two) What Is The World? A MUST SHARE SERIES! - Video

Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Two) Part Two What Is The World? A MUST SHARE SERIES! – Video

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Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Two) Part Two What Is The World? A MUST SHARE SERIES!
Begin the study of Steps to Knowledge: The Book of Inner Knowing to embark on a universal spirituality and essential preparation for engagement with intellig...

By: DanielofDoria02

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Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Two) Part Two What Is The World? A MUST SHARE SERIES! - Video