Deep Personalization in Tools for Reflection

Personal informatics (PI) tools that support reflection are “personalized” insofar as the data consists of an individual’s data. Typically, this data is presented in visualizations that are generic and non-individuated. In this paper, we argue for deep personalization, where the visualizations are constructed by individuals. Such functionality gives individuals the power to build visualizations that are personally meaningful, allowing them to meet and address personal needs. We illustrate the power of this approach by considering a case study of the design of a multi-faceted reflection tool. Reflecting on the deep personalization of the design process, we propose an approach that will allow individuals to personalize their own visualizations.