A few years ago I bought my mum a Fitbit. She quit in ~four days, not because she's lazy, but because it told her she needed 10,000 steps a day when she was doing 1,500. That number isn't a goal, it's a wall. (The 10k figure originated from a 1960s Japanese pedometer marketing campaign, it has nothing to do with your actual baseline or life.)

I watched her play Farmville (and candy crush) for 45 minutes straight each day that same week and had a lightbulb moment. She wasn't unmotivated, she just needed the right feedback loop. So I built her a simple app: personalised goals based on her actual activity, gradual weekly progression, a social layer so she could do challenges with friends, and a virtual pet that grows healthier as she does.

She stuck with it. Her friends wanted it. Then their friends did too. That's Motion. 50,000+ users across 73 countries later, it's still a side project — I work full time and build this on the side. No streaks that punish you for missing a day, no arbitrary targets. Just a goal that makes sense for you, and people to do it with. Happy to answer anything.

Love the Farmville/Candy Crush insight. How do you handle the virtual pet mechanic without violating your 'no punishment' rule? For instance, if a user gets sick and can't walk for a week, what happens to the pet? How do you encourage them to return without inducing the guilt of a broken streak?