Add option for an 'adjusted' step count to challenges.

[PureEvil]

While I enjoy setting up a 'Workweek Hustle' challenge among my friends and I, many of my friends are reluctant to join because they feel that I'd 'blow the curve'.  My suggestion is to have effectively two scores:

• The raw scores, which is how it currently runs.  Each step counts towards your step total.  This requires no further explanation.
• The adjusted scores, which adjusts each player's score based on the average weekly step count entering the challenge.

This effectively works like a handicap in golf (just to illustrate the point, this is not a reference to folks with disabilities).  So this is a proposed way to calculate it.  Let's say everyone targets 10k steps a day:

• For folks whose weekly average is less than 10k, each of their steps counts towards their 'adjusted' score.
• For folks whose weekly average is over 10k, you must overcome the difference between your average score and 10k before their steps count towards their 'adjusted' score.

For instance, let's say you have three folks in the challenge:

• Bob: 13000 weekly average, 11000 steps today.
• Doug: 11000 weekly average, 7000 steps today.
• James: 9000 weekly average, 9000 steps today.

James averaging < 10k (and not having a handicap), scores 9000 'adjusted' steps for today.

Bob (having a 3000 step handicap, 13k-10k), scores 8000 'adjusted' steps for today.

Doug (having a 1000 step handicap, 11k-10k), scores 6000 'adjusted' steps for today.

This allows everyone to compete on a more even footing and the scale slides on your level of activity.

Moderator Edit: Added Labels

[sirvisualsky]

Good Day Fitbit Devs, I think an interesting feature to add for Challenges would be to add a handicap value for some participants. E.g. Most of my friends for a work week challenges are more of office workers others are people whom always are on there feet day in and day out. So as you can imagine they have no problem pushing up the steps, where others are, well sitting down for the majority of the day. So maybe adding in a Handicap value to assist those sedentary office workers catch up to there always on there feet workers.

Also this may double up to allow those with more of a sedentary lives get moving more through out the week, and give them more of a confidence boost to get out there if your up against one of your friends whom is very active and have a chance to win. Also you can probally work in a activity decay on the handicap, the more active you are the more the handicap drops off..etc.  

[shandrea]

The challenges were REALLY fun until it became obvious that there are certain people in the challenges that work on their feet and are constantly moving who always win over people stuck at a desk like me.  Granted it should motivate me to move more but even so it's hard to catch up and makes the challenges less exciting.  I think what would really be motivating would be to have a challenge based on improvements.  Perhaps base a calculation off of the user's average daily steps and measure that day's steps against the average.  I think that would be even more encouraging.

[PureEvil]

Hello @shandrea,

I had posted a feature request for 'adjusted' step count on challenges and even described the math.  You may want to read through it and if this is similar to what you had in mind, then we should get the moderators to merge the two threads.

[KneeSlapper]

I think what would be great is something more global, a sort-of 'Fit Score'.   This would be formula and calculation based on steps, activity, heart rate, sleep, etc.  Everything counts into one score.   So if Jane has 15k steps, and Sally does an hour of a studio workout with an elevated HR, but only clocks 8k steps - how does this compare?   This could be used in challenges as well as a better way to score your overall fitness.

If you like this idea - here is the link to vote:  https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Requests/Fit-Score-A-new-measure-that-takes-many-metrics-int...

Thanks!

[TwixPanther]

I like Shandrea's idea.

I must admit I don't use the challenges at the moment as I don't really see the point in comparing/competing my step or distance goals with friends as we all have different lifestyles (I for example have a sedentary job, have two boxer dogs to walk twice a day and am having a hip replacement in 5 weeks time. None of my friends have the same circumstances!)

I would like to see more personal challenges, trophies, notifications

Beat your own best distance or best steps

Beat your own weekly or daily average of either

Aim for a specific amount of steps such as  15,000 instead of 10,000 both days this weekend

etc...

There are lots of different challenges that could be set-up for individuals to push themselves

[RobertoME]

This is a great idea! I can see how this can be helpful for challenge participation. I took the liberty to merged similar ideas to make more popular this idea. I remind you all to vote for this request so it can be implemented soon.

Thanks for sharing and supporting this idea!

[yoopersundevil]

I was hoping for something like this. My mom, who I've been racing with, has told me tonight to not challenge her to anymore races after the one that we're working on for this exact reason. Please, please put in something like this. 

[PureEvil]

@yoopersundevil,

I'll go ahead and plug another one of my feature suggestions and that's the one for team challenges.  The idea is that you can team up folks with higher step counts with folks with more modest step counts.

This way you and your mom may team up together with maybe a couple of your friends with similar average step counts.

[Kaos246]

I think having a golf style handicap system will make the work week hustle more fun. I win by a fairly big margin most times so if I could automatically take 20k of my score it will more of a challenge for me and the others

[TylerDur]

I love the virtual races but I have friends who have very active jobs while I work all day from a computer. Itd be amazing to be able to set a handicap (like golf) so I can still be in the running to win! As it stands right now...we often get discouraged because they always finish first and I always finish last (the races are always predictable)! 

[ScottMiller]

I think along the same lines.  Like using handicaps in Bowling, I would like to suggest something similar for Fitbit contests.

(1) Use the last weeks step average for the contest.

(2) Score steps when you exceed average.  Accumulate over the work week or weekend challenges.

(3) Another twist would be to create teams of 5, that could participate in leagues.  Use basics of

       (1) and (2) above, with the kicker of for the each day only 3 of the 5 scores are tallied for each team

       to escape the possibility of a "ringer" on the team.  This would enhance dialogue and positive

       (hopefully) encouragement amongst team members.

Thanks-

Scott

[Miodi]

The "challenge" function of the app can be highly motivational for those who use it. However high activity users who want to encourage friends and family with lower levels of activity to participate in the challenges have often found that while it can work at first, it can actually be quickly discouraging to those putting up low counts given the vast disparities in the raw numbers. Please consider implementing some means to adjust high activity users, either by automated net average adjustments or by raw count thresholds, to "even the playing field" for all participants in a challenge.

Note this suggestion was first posed in 2016 and we are now over a year past that mark. While we understand that Fitbit's primary focus is on product sales, putting increasing effort toward community support via software enhancements to the app does help create a loyal base.

[JMaldaner]

Workweek challenges are one of the main reasons I and many of my friends use Fitbits instead of alternate tracking devices. We love the challenges! But, it never fails that within our challenges the same disparities crop up, based on the total steps of each participant. It doesn’t matter that Jane beat her previous weekly best by 10,000 steps, she is always dwarfed by Michelle, who has a daily average of twice Jane’s. And yet, at the end of the week, Michelle reaps the honors of winning, though perhaps her week’s total was under her average.

I would like like to put in a request for an additional type of Workweek Challenge: Steps Above Average.

It would be ideal if the average could be computed over the previous several weeks, but to make it easier to implement, using the weekly average that is already figured and dividing to get a daily average would work. Then, show Steps Above Average for each day the Workweek Challenge with the winner being the most steps above average.

This is is different than steps above Goal because your goal is highly subjective and most folks rarely change it. For instance, the Michelle in my story averages about 18,000 steps per day. She will tell you she tries for 20,000. Her “goal” in Fitbit is 10,000 steps.

What do do you think? Would you support such a challenge? Fitbit - could you make this happen? Is there the technology to do so?

[davidjwood]

It would be great if we had more challenges that placed all of the participants on the same playing field. Rather than allowing participants to set their own Goal (i.e. 10K steps) that instead it took the recent AVERAGE of steps for each person and then set a common goal of let’s say 20% above that average. This way, everyone is shooting for the same stretch goal... no matter the ability of each participant. For example: you want to include the kids, parents and grandparents. 

[JMaldaner]

Great idea! I like the way you’re thinking!

John Maldaner
nobite@wk.net
To the world you might be just one person; but, to one dog you might be the world.

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi everyone thanks for sharing this suggestion. This is being discussed although I do not have a firm commitment or timeline at the moment. Do continue to vote for this feature suggestion whilst it’s under consideration. Please note that if something is under consideration and chosen for development, it can be a while until it's released or until I have any news to share. Please watch this space for any updates! Thanks for your patience.

[JMaldaner]

Fantastic news! Thank you for considering any derivation of this idea!

[Journey100]

Yes, yes, yes!!!  I hate when my uber fit friends challenge me to the weekly showdown and they win by over 50k steps over everyone else.  The ides should be to get everyone to move more.  I recommend the winner would have the highest % increase over their average lifetime step counts.

[LizFitbit]

Hi everyone, and thanks so much for sharing this suggestion! While we don’t currently have plans to release this feature, we always appreciate the passion and creativity that comes out of this Community. Since we know this idea is important to many of you, we have left voting open to continue tracking interest and will post another update if anything changes. To learn more about how Fitbit decides which suggestions get developed, visit our FAQs.

We're always striving to enhance Fitbit products and services, and your input is a big part of that process. We truly thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us.