Personalization by Design: A Case Study on CardaFit’s Appropriation in Workplace Settings

Abstract

This paper presents an appropriation study of CardaFit, a cross-platform mobile application designed to mitigate the negative health effects of prolonged sitting among desk workers. The app promotes micro-interventions through brief, repeated health reminders that encourage hydration, movement, physical activity, and regular breaks during work hours. CardaFit integrates practice-centered design with personalized notifications, gamification elements, and meal recommendations. The system emphasizes tailorability, user control, and motivational feedback mechanisms, while incorporating context-sensitive nudging to support behavioral change. This demo contributes to the understanding of design principles and features grounded in user feedback, enhancing both relevance and usability, and paving the way for AI-driven personalization, user autonomy, and privacy-aware interactions. Through a longitudinal study, we demonstrate the viability of CardaFit as a realistic and accessible solution for fostering sustainable wellness behaviors in technology-mediated work environments.