Fuzzlr: Quit or Continue?

posted in Fuzzlr
Published June 11, 2012
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Over the last few months I've been working on a new concept, blending social and game mechanics with goal management to create a fun, engaging experience to help people remain motivated to complete personal goals. Here is a little story to show how it works:

You log in and create a new goal (let's say Finish Maths Assignment for College) and add a time and date for when you would like to complete this goal (let's pretend today is Wednesday -- unless it is Wednesday when you're reading this -- and say the you want to complete it by Friday). You click "Activate Goal!" and a small box pops up showing a little fuzzle...

[color=#777777][font=Verdana, sans-serif]

fuzzlesketch.jpg <--- That's this guy

[/font][/color]

... about to enter a perilous situation (about to fall into a pit of spikes, be crushed by a falling block of concrete, be eaten by a carnivorous plant, etc); the screen freezes just before the bad thing is about to happen and a countdown timer appears! You have two days to complete your goal: Finish Maths Assignment for College!

Only by completing this goal will the fuzzle be saved from danger. Imagine the guilt if you fail and watch the poor, cute, large-eyed little fuzzle get impaled, crushed or eaten! Imagine the shame as a message is posted to the goal stream letting everyone know you let a poor little fuzzle die. Enough to get you motivated into completing the task?

So in a nutshell, that is what Fuzzlr is all about.

The thing is, I'm at a junction: do I Quit or Continue? I have another project (inspired by Fuzzlr) for a motivational goal management tool for the enterprise. So do I re-focus my energies completely on the enterprise tool or would you still like to see Fuzzlr completed?

If you'd like to see Fuzzlr completed, go here and sign-up: http://fuzzlr.com

And don't forget to follow Fuzzlr on twitter: @Fuzzlr

If I get enough sign-ups over the next week, I'll hit the continue button and complete it! Either way, I'll post the result next week.
[color=#777777][font=Verdana, sans-serif]

greenfuzzle.png

[/font][/color]
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1 likes 6 comments

Comments

pixeltasim
How does it know whether you completed the goal? If I miss the deadline I might lie about it to the application and still feel slightly guilty but not embarrassed. Otherwise, its an awesome idea!
June 11, 2012 10:28 PM
Stormynature
You log in and create a new goal (let’s say Finish[b] Fuzzlr[/b]) and add a time and date for when you would like to complete this goal (let’s pretend today is Wednesday — unless it is Wednesday when you’re reading this — and say the you want to complete it by Friday). You click “Activate Goal!” and a small box pops up showing a little fuzzle…about to enter a perilous situation (about to fall into a pit of spikes, be crushed by a falling block of concrete, be eaten by a carnivorous plant, etc); the screen freezes just before the bad thing is about to happen and a countdown timer appears! You have two days to complete your goal: Finish [b]Fuzzlr[/b]!

Only by completing this goal will the fuzzle be saved from danger. Imagine the guilt if you fail and watch the poor, cute, large-eyed little fuzzle get impaled, crushed or eaten! Imagine the shame as a message is posted to the goal stream letting everyone know you let a poor little fuzzle die. Enough to get you motivated into completing the task?


I have amended your post to properly reflect the reality of your situation...my question is...will you feel the guilt?
June 12, 2012 07:21 AM
hammon
[quote name='pixeltasim' timestamp='1339453734']
How does it know whether you completed the goal? If I miss the deadline I might lie about it to the application and still feel slightly guilty but not embarrassed. Otherwise, its an awesome idea!
[/quote]

Thanks! Yes, the problem is for the majority of personal set goals, there is no way of validating whether a goal was really completed which does open it up to cheating. However, you would only be cheating yourself since the goal would still remain incomplete (and there will be constant reminders of this in an attempt to keep it true). It will be possible to add endorsers to goals and, if they are satisfied, they can authenticate the goal.

Obviously this is less of a problem if someone else challenged you to complete a goal.
June 12, 2012 09:26 AM
hammon
[quote name='Stormynature' timestamp='1339485693']
I have amended your post to properly reflect the reality of your situation...my question is...will you feel the guilt?
[/quote]

That's not quite right. If I had set "Finish Fuzzlr" as my goal, then you would be right, but my question is, should I set the goal in the first place. To answer your question though, if I failed to finish the goal on time, then yes I'd feel guilty - the crushed fuzzle is a metaphor for that failure.

Incidentally, you managed to create a paradox. ;)
June 12, 2012 09:36 AM
Stormynature
The paradox was intended - ala Schrödinger's cat. In the event that you do not open the box (continue the project) then the fate of Fuzzlr will remain an unknowable result. Either way I like your Fuzzlr idea though I would build more of a penalty system into it -- with increased embarassment with multiple goal failure decreased with goal successes.
June 12, 2012 10:57 AM
hammon
Thanks. I had been toying with a punishment/penalty system, so your input here is very appreciated.
June 12, 2012 11:06 AM
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