The main goal for Habinator is to be the best behavioral change tool. To be a support platform to help people to change their habits, and to show them how to make a positive lifestyle change. But can an app really help people change? Can an app really help people reach their goals in life?
Behavioral change technology
We all know that social media changes our behavior. Even a simple website like Facebook can have a major influence on our behavior. The articles we read, and the communication we have online shapes our behavior in the outside world. We are only just beginning to understand the possibilities of how human behavior is influenced by technology.
What if we could build an app to help support a healthy lifestyle, that coaches users to eat healthy, exercise, reduce stress, and sleep better? To push people to carry out daily actions that lead to more happiness, productivity, energy, and even treating chronic diseases.
When creating healthy habits, the underlying problem is not a lack of information. For example, most of us know how important eating healthy is and even know how to eat healthy, but still many of us are overweight. In other words, the information we know about how to live a healthy lifestyle doesn't manifest in daily actions.
So the problem is how do we use the technology available to us, to instill changes into people’s lives. We believe that we can build an app that provides support for people who have a desire to change.
What does the research tell us?
Unfortunately, there is not enough research on how much a digital coach, or an application can help motivate users to make a long-lasting lifestyle change. The initial research supports the idea that software can be a positive factor in changing a behavior, but so can a paper and pen. The important factor to notice is that whatever the supporting instrument is, the person using the device needs to have the desire to change and take action!
The market of digital wellness technology is growing, so why would people buy smartwatches to monitor their own progress, and buy remote coaching services if they don’t benefit from them? At the very least people hope that they will find a product that helps them. Or maybe people think that the product will do the commitment and hard work for them - because sometimes the commercials let us believe so.
The vision of the best coaching app
To be the best coaching app, the software must at least:
- Guide the user during the change process
- Give information that supports decision making
- Motivate and remind the user when needed
- Make the user realize the importance of the actions they need to take
If you read the list, you might think: "Of course. Can't be that hard to build." But if you think about it, the hardest and most difficult thing is to get the user to take action! To put their phone down and do needs to be done. To execute their daily tasks that bring them closer to their goals.
The app will give you scientifically proven methods for behavior change and it will tell you exactly what you need to do. It reminds and motivates you, and it even makes tracking your progress fun. Would you still hesitate to take action?
As stated before: The app is only a support tool to help the user take action! The commitment to change needs to be there. Even the best coach or the best app cannot help the user change if the user does not want to change.
Human or digital coaching
According to some studies, digital coaching used together with a supporting app can be successful in developing long-term motivation for physical activity, as well as other healthy behaviors. Traditional coaching and other professional therapeutic guidance have already been proven to be helpful in behavioral change. So why not use both at the same time and get as much support as possible?
In Habinator, our goal is to create a community where people support each other by exchanging advice and experiences. We have also created functionality to create group challenges where coaches, trainers, influencers, and individuals can create a group to work towards a common goal.
For professional health, life, and performance coaches, Habinator is a platform to help their clients to reach their goals.
Outline
Many people want to make a change, but are unable to carry out their plan. They use technology to support the change with varying degrees of success. People usually know what they want, and even what they should do, but they have difficulty following through with it. That's why we want people to realize that a human coach or a digital coaching app is the best way to support them. But remember you, and only you, can make the change.
We are not producing a magic widget. We are developing the best tool to support your lifestyle change.
