Effect of Real-time Visual Feedback on Participant Compliance, Motivation, and Performance in SwimmingNCT06556212
Real-time Feedback in Swimming: Workout Compliance and Swimming Performance Outcomes Using Smart Swim Goggles
A study testing Real-time feedback using smart swim goggles in people with Effect of Real-time Visual Feedback on Participant Compliance, Motivation, and Performance in Swimming, run by Simon Fraser University at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
In August of 2019 a Canadian company, Form Athletica Inc. (FORM), introduced a pair of Smart swimming goggles (FORM goggles) with a built-in see-through display. The FORM Smart Swim Goggles both track and display the following performance metrics in real time: lap time splits, distance, stroke rate, stroke count… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Effect of Real-time Visual Feedback on Participant Compliance, Motivation, and Performance in Swimming
- What is being tested?
- Real-time feedback using smart swim goggles
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 57 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 27 Mar 2023to 9 Dec 2023
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 years or older
- Can swim 400m front crawl (FR) continuously at a maximum effort
- Can swim a minimum of 3 times a week
- Can swim a minimum of 2000m in a session
- Are not currently injured and have had a minimum of 6 weeks recovery from a previous injury
- Are proficient in FR, backstroke (BK), breaststroke (BR)
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- Prepared to dedicate 1-1.5 hours a session for 4 in-person sessions
- Are able to complete 3 workouts a week for 12 weeks on their own on separate days with at least one day in between workouts
- Live in British Columbia, Canada and live max 15km from nearest public pool
- Must be willing to minimize all other forms of physical training during the study period
Who cannot join
- Current competitive swimmer
- Currently training on a swim team or in a swim club
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
In August of 2019 a Canadian company, Form Athletica Inc. (FORM), introduced a pair of Smart swimming goggles (FORM goggles) with a built-in see-through display. The FORM Smart Swim Goggles both track and display the following performance metrics in real time: lap time splits, distance, stroke rate, stroke count, distance per stroke, pace, auto-rest, and heart rate. The goggles are also capable of showing structured workouts from inside the goggles. To assess the FORM goggles heart rate monitor, swimmer workout compliance, and swimmer performance adaptations, a group of recreational swimmers will complete familiarization sessions using the FORM goggles, perform a baseline performance test, follow a 12-week training program, and complete a final performance test.
Read the detailed description
The following research questions guide the study design:
- Do recreational swimmers exhibit greater workout adherence when utilizing FORM goggles for real-time visual feedback in comparison to recreational swimmers who do not utilize such feedback?
- Will the utilization of real-time visual feedback lead to higher motivation levels for recreational swimmers in comparison to recreational swimmers who do not utilize such real-time feedback?
- Will there be a more pronounced performance enhancement among recreational swimmers who employ real-time visual feedback during a 12-week training period, as opposed to recreational swimmers who do not utilize such feedback?
The experiment will be conducted over 13 weeks. Week 1 and the final day of week 13 will be in-person. The remaining weeks/days will be completed by the participants on their own. The in-person days will be carried out in a designated 25-meter indoor swimming pool using 6 lanes with a total of 12 swimmers per session. Video footage will be captured on all in-person days as a reference for any discrepancies in the FORM goggles output, and as a more precise method of measuring the performance test. FORM goggles will be used by all participants.
Prior to Week 1, educational material and the Get Active Questionnaire will be provided to participants. The educational material will include information on standard swimming workout language, session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), using the FORM goggles, and using the FORM Swim application on a cellular phone. The Get Active Questionnaire will need to be completed prior to commencing testing.
Week 1 sessions will be utilized for familiarization/testing purposes and for recording data for the heart rate validation component of the study. Within each session, all participants will be equipped with an external heart rate monitor (Polar Verity) and 4 will be equipped with an additional heart rate monitor (Garmin HRM-Swim). Two sessions will be designated for the participants to get accustomed to the FORM goggles (face fit, field of view, and user interface). These sessions will consist of standardized workouts between 1000m and 2000m. The remaining session will be used to complete a performance test as described in the paragraph below. Before the data collection commences the following will occur:
- Establishing the participants' understanding of the educational material distributed prior to week 1
- Retrieval of completed Get Active Questionnaires
- Briefing the participants on using the FORM goggles and FORM app by the research personnel
Week 1 will contain a baseline performance test. This performance test will determine the participants' critical swim speed (CSS) through two maximal efforts (400 m front crawl, followed by 50 m front crawl) with adequate rest between to produce "best-effort" swims. At the end of week 1, participants will be stratified and randomized into an intervention group ("feedback") and control group ("non-feedback") and reported using the CONSORT guidelines. "Feedback" will differ from "non-feedback" in that they will have the FORM goggles display on and receive real-time metrics and guided workouts throughout the remainder of the study. "non-feedback" will have the display turned on but will only have the workout timer visible during rest. Each group will be provided with the same twelve-week training program. Within each group there will be three training plan volumes (High, Medium, Low) that participants will be assigned to, ensuring appropriate training load prescription per participant. A swim coach will make the assignments using information from the participants' previous swimming experience, and the participants' baseline CSS. "Feedback" will have the convenience of guided workouts in the FORM goggles, while "non-feedback" will be required to use other methods of remembering their workouts (i.e., paper, standard training application, etc.).
Weeks 2-13 will consist of unsupervised sessions to assess the impact of motivation, compliance and workout adherence on CSS performance. The participants will complete three workouts per week on their own time at their local indoor pool.
Week 13 will conclude with a final CSS performance test on the final workout day.
Workout instructions will be provided via email and in-app to all participants at the beginning of each training week. A questionnaire will be delivered to each participant after each training session to record data such as their perceived effort of the training session, exercise motivation, and exercise enjoyment. An additional questionnaire will be provided every 4 weeks to assess participants' experience with the usability and legibility of the FORM goggles or other utilized workout instruction/performance feedback device.
- Being tested
- Real-time feedback using smart swim goggles
- Keywords
- feedback, sensory, feedback, physiological, swimming, physical fitness
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Real-time feedback using smart swim gogglesOther
Smart swim goggles (Form Athletica Inc.) with activity metrics (such as heart rate, swimming pace, and workout instructions) displayed in real-time during a swimming activity.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback | Experimental | This arm will have the smart swim goggles display on and receive real-time metrics and guided workouts via the goggles throughout the study training period. Receives: Other: Real-time feedback using smart swim goggles |
| Non-feedback | No intervention | This arm will have the smart swim goggles display turned on but will only have the workout timer visible during rest. They will not receive real-time metrics or guided workouts via the goggles. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Compliance: Workout pool length count difference
Measured as the difference (count) between prescribed pool lengths and completed pool lengths per workout.
Measured: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Compliance: Interval rest time difference
Measured as the difference (seconds) between prescribed rest time and actual rest time per rest interval.
Measured: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Compliance: Interval stroke type difference
Measured as a "success" (1) or "failure" (0) to complete the prescribed stroke type per swim interval.
Measured: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Compliance: Interval effort difference
Measured as a "success" (1) or "failure" (0) to meet the prescribed effort (based on a participant-specific percentage of critical swim speed) per freestyle swim interval.
Measured: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Compliance: Workout effort difference
Measured as the difference (count) between prescribed workout effort and participant provided workout effort. Workout effort is quantified using session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) which is evaluated using the Borg Category-Ratio 10 scale. The minimum value is 0 (indicating no exertion at all) and the maximum value is 10 (indicating maximal exertion).
Measured: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Motivation: Completed workout difference
Measured as the difference (count) between prescribed workouts and completed workouts.
Measured: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Motivation: Questionnaire
Evaluated after every workout (via an online questionnaire) on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree) for the following questions:
- Accomplishment - "I feel a sense of accomplishment after completing my swim workout"
- Enjoyment - "I enjoyed my swim workout today"
- Motivation - "I am motivated to complete my next swim workout"
Higher scores indicate higher motivation levels.
Measured: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Performance: Adaptation (Critical swim speed)
Performance is measured as the difference (metres/second) between the baseline critical swim speed, measured at the end of Week 1 of the study, and the post-training critical swim speed, measured at the end of Week 13 of the study (end of Week 12 of the training program).
Measured: From the start of Week 1 of the training program to the end of week 12 of the training program.
Secondary outcomes (1)
Validity: Heart rate sensor
Is the smart swim goggles integrated photoplethysmography heart rate sensor valid and reliable when compared to an electrocardiogram sensor (Garmin HRM-Swim)?
Validity will be measured as the difference (beats per minute) between heart rate values from the Garmin HRM-Swim monitor and heart rate values from the smart swim goggles from two separate workouts in Week 1 of the study.
Measured: Week 1 of the study
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted15 Aug 2024
- Study start27 Mar 2023
- Primary completion9 Dec 2023
- Study completion9 Dec 2023
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Effect of Real-time Visual Feedback on Participant Compliance, Motivation, and Performance in SwimmingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The intervention group ("feedback") will differ from the control group ("non-feedback") in that they will have the FORM goggles display on and receive real-time metrics and guided workouts throughout the remainder of the study. "Non-feedback" will have the display turned on but will only have the workout timer visible during rest. Each group will be provided with the same twelve-week training program that differs only in the prescribed pace for each workout.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 57 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Simon Fraser University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Form Athletica Inc.
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, David Clarke, Simon Fraser University
- Investigators
- David C Clarke, PhD, Principal investigator, Simon Fraser University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06556212
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 30001408
- Status last verified
- Aug 2024
- First submitted
- 10 Aug 2024
- Last updated
- 15 Aug 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 15 Aug 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Real-time Feedback in Swimming: Workout Compliance and Swimming Performance Outcomes Using Smart Swim Goggles
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06556212
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 30001408
- Keywords
- feedback, sensory, feedback, physiological, swimming, physical fitness
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 57 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Simon Fraser UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Form Athletica Inc.
- Study start
- 27 Mar 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 9 Dec 2023 (actual)
- Study completion
- 9 Dec 2023 (actual)
- First posted
- 15 Aug 2024 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
In August of 2019 a Canadian company, Form Athletica Inc. (FORM), introduced a pair of Smart swimming goggles (FORM goggles) with a built-in see-through display. The FORM Smart Swim Goggles both track and display the following performance metrics in real time: lap time splits, distance, stroke rate, stroke count, distance per stroke, pace, auto-rest, and heart rate. The goggles are also capable of showing structured workouts from inside the goggles. To assess the FORM goggles heart rate monitor, swimmer workout compliance, and swimmer performance adaptations, a group of recreational swimmers will complete familiarization sessions using the FORM goggles, perform a baseline performance test, follow a 12-week training program, and complete a final performance test.
Detailed description
The following research questions guide the study design:
- Do recreational swimmers exhibit greater workout adherence when utilizing FORM goggles for real-time visual feedback in comparison to recreational swimmers who do not utilize such feedback?
- Will the utilization of real-time visual feedback lead to higher motivation levels for recreational swimmers in comparison to recreational swimmers who do not utilize such real-time feedback?
- Will there be a more pronounced performance enhancement among recreational swimmers who employ real-time visual feedback during a 12-week training period, as opposed to recreational swimmers who do not utilize such feedback?
The experiment will be conducted over 13 weeks. Week 1 and the final day of week 13 will be in-person. The remaining weeks/days will be completed by the participants on their own. The in-person days will be carried out in a designated 25-meter indoor swimming pool using 6 lanes with a total of 12 swimmers per session. Video footage will be captured on all in-person days as a reference for any discrepancies in the FORM goggles output, and as a more precise method of measuring the performance test. FORM goggles will be used by all participants.
Prior to Week 1, educational material and the Get Active Questionnaire will be provided to participants. The educational material will include information on standard swimming workout language, session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), using the FORM goggles, and using the FORM Swim application on a cellular phone. The Get Active Questionnaire will need to be completed prior to commencing testing.
Week 1 sessions will be utilized for familiarization/testing purposes and for recording data for the heart rate validation component of the study. Within each session, all participants will be equipped with an external heart rate monitor (Polar Verity) and 4 will be equipped with an additional heart rate monitor (Garmin HRM-Swim). Two sessions will be designated for the participants to get accustomed to the FORM goggles (face fit, field of view, and user interface). These sessions will consist of standardized workouts between 1000m and 2000m. The remaining session will be used to complete a performance test as described in the paragraph below. Before the data collection commences the following will occur:
- Establishing the participants' understanding of the educational material distributed prior to week 1
- Retrieval of completed Get Active Questionnaires
- Briefing the participants on using the FORM goggles and FORM app by the research personnel
Week 1 will contain a baseline performance test. This performance test will determine the participants' critical swim speed (CSS) through two maximal efforts (400 m front crawl, followed by 50 m front crawl) with adequate rest between to produce "best-effort" swims. At the end of week 1, participants will be stratified and randomized into an intervention group ("feedback") and control group ("non-feedback") and reported using the CONSORT guidelines. "Feedback" will differ from "non-feedback" in that they will have the FORM goggles display on and receive real-time metrics and guided workouts throughout the remainder of the study. "non-feedback" will have the display turned on but will only have the workout timer visible during rest. Each group will be provided with the same twelve-week training program. Within each group there will be three training plan volumes (High, Medium, Low) that participants will be assigned to, ensuring appropriate training load prescription per participant. A swim coach will make the assignments using information from the participants' previous swimming experience, and the participants' baseline CSS. "Feedback" will have the convenience of guided workouts in the FORM goggles, while "non-feedback" will be required to use other methods of remembering their workouts (i.e., paper, standard training application, etc.).
Weeks 2-13 will consist of unsupervised sessions to assess the impact of motivation, compliance and workout adherence on CSS performance. The participants will complete three workouts per week on their own time at their local indoor pool.
Week 13 will conclude with a final CSS performance test on the final workout day.
Workout instructions will be provided via email and in-app to all participants at the beginning of each training week. A questionnaire will be delivered to each participant after each training session to record data such as their perceived effort of the training session, exercise motivation, and exercise enjoyment. An additional questionnaire will be provided every 4 weeks to assess participants' experience with the usability and legibility of the FORM goggles or other utilized workout instruction/performance feedback device.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The intervention group ("feedback") will differ from the control group ("non-feedback") in that they will have the FORM goggles display on and receive real-time metrics and guided workouts throughout the remainder of the study. "Non-feedback" will have the display turned on but will only have the workout timer visible during rest. Each group will be provided with the same twelve-week training program that differs only in the prescribed pace for each workout.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback | Experimental | Other: Real-time feedback using smart swim gogglesThis arm will have the smart swim goggles display on and receive real-time metrics and guided workouts via the goggles throughout the study training period. |
| Non-feedback | No intervention | –This arm will have the smart swim goggles display turned on but will only have the workout timer visible during rest. They will not receive real-time metrics or guided workouts via the goggles. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (10 listed)
- 18 years or older
- Can swim 400m front crawl (FR) continuously at a maximum effort
- Can swim a minimum of 3 times a week
- Can swim a minimum of 2000m in a session
- Are not currently injured and have had a minimum of 6 weeks recovery from a previous injury
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Current competitive swimmer
- Currently training on a swim team or in a swim club
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time feedback using smart swim gogglesSmart swim goggles (Form Athletica Inc.) with activity metrics (such as heart rate, swimming pace, and workout instructions) displayed in real-time during a swimming activity. | Other | Feedback |
Primary outcome
Compliance: Workout pool length count difference
Time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Measured as the difference (count) between prescribed pool lengths and completed pool lengths per workout.
Compliance: Interval rest time difference
Time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Measured as the difference (seconds) between prescribed rest time and actual rest time per rest interval.
Compliance: Interval stroke type difference
Time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Measured as a "success" (1) or "failure" (0) to complete the prescribed stroke type per swim interval.
Compliance: Interval effort difference
Time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Measured as a "success" (1) or "failure" (0) to meet the prescribed effort (based on a participant-specific percentage of critical swim speed) per freestyle swim interval.
Compliance: Workout effort difference
Time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Measured as the difference (count) between prescribed workout effort and participant provided workout effort. Workout effort is quantified using session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) which is evaluated using the Borg Category-Ratio 10 scale. The minimum value is 0 (indicating no exertion at all) and the maximum value is 10 (indicating maximal exertion).
Motivation: Completed workout difference
Time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Measured as the difference (count) between prescribed workouts and completed workouts.
Motivation: Questionnaire
Time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).
Evaluated after every workout (via an online questionnaire) on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree) for the following questions: * Accomplishment - "I feel a sense of accomplishment after completing my swim workout" * Enjoyment - "I enjoyed my swim workout today" * Motivation - "I am motivated to complete my next swim workout" Higher scores indicate higher motivation levels.
Performance: Adaptation (Critical swim speed)
Time frame: From the start of Week 1 of the training program to the end of week 12 of the training program.
Performance is measured as the difference (metres/second) between the baseline critical swim speed, measured at the end of Week 1 of the study, and the post-training critical swim speed, measured at the end of Week 13 of the study (end of Week 12 of the training program).
1 secondary outcome
Validity: Heart rate sensor
Time frame: Week 1 of the study
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 15 Aug 2024.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
David C Clarke, PhD principal investigator
Simon Fraser University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Real-time feedback using smart swim goggles in people with Effect of Real-time Visual Feedback on Participant Compliance, Motivation, and Performance in Swimming, run by Simon Fraser University at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 10 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Aug 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Compliance: Workout pool length count difference (time frame: From Week 2 of the study to the end of Week 13 (Weeks 1 to 12 of the training program).). The study lists 8 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Aug 2024; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 6 Nov 2026.