augKlimb: Interactive Data-Led Augmentation of Bouldering Training

Abstract

Climbing is a popular and growing sport, especially indoors, where climbers can train on man-made routes using artificial holds. Both strength and good technique is required to successfully reach the top of a climb, and often coaches work to improve technique so less strength is required, enabling a climber to ascent more difficult climbs. Various aspects of adding computer-interaction to climbing have been studied in recent years, but there is a large space for research into lightweight tools to aid recreational intermediate climbers, both with trickier climbs and to improve their own technique. In this CS Masters final project, I explored which form of data-capture and output-features could improve a climber's training, and analysed how climbers responded to viewing their data throughout a climbing session, then conducted a user-centred design to build a lightweight mobile application for intermediate climbers. A variety of hardware and software solutions were explored, tested and developed through series of surveys, discussions, wizard-of-oz studies and prototyping, resulting in a system that most closely meets the needs of local indoor boulderers given the project's time scope. This consists of an iteratively developed interactive mobile app that: can record, graph, and score the acceleration of a climber, as both a training tool and gamification incentive for good technique; can link a video recording to the acceleration graph, to enable frame-by-frame inspection of weaknesses; is fully approved and distributed on the Google play Store and currently being regularly used by 15 local climbers. Then I conducted a final usability study, comprising a thematic analysis of forty minutes's worth of interview transcripts, to gain a deep understanding of the app's impact on the climbers using it, along with its benefits and limitations.