Insight

Quantified Self Apps – UP Coffee

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I’m not alone when I say we surely are a heavy coffee dependent species. Caffeine has literally become a productivity tool. According to the International Coffee Organisation, the UK consumes 2.8 kg of coffee per capita per year. Still far from Finland though with a staggering 12.17 kg! GO Finland! With all this quantifiable information available, it makes perfect sense that a budding start-up would create an data visualisation / quantified self app.

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2781″ img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2782″ img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”full”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]So how much caffeine is enough through the day? Two, three or four lattes. The UP Coffee app developed by the team who created the successful Jawbone UP wristband, brings you the answer. This nifty little app lets you record and measure your caffeine intake with simple data entry based on key metrics. Once you have set-up your profile, which is surprisingly straight forward (height, weight, target bedtime and caffeine sensitivity) you are ready to get caffeinated. Now entering data or selecting it is just as easy. You just add the beverage of your choice which triggers caffeine level based on caffeine intake. The rest is pure algorithm that decides whether you are wired or sleep ready based on variables you have entered.  I have to admit I’ve been struggling to get ‘wired’ although I am somewhat sensitive to caffeine.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

UP Coffee works perfectly fine without the wristband, although it tempts you with new exciting content to unlock if you do own a Jawbone. After 3 days of logging data, you get to compare yourself with other coffee drinkers and after 7 it unlocks your coffee persona. It’s interface is simple yet beautifully designed with very functional features. The data is visualised in bar charts where you can quickly see your progress. Once you log a sufficient amount of data, new experiments are unlocked.

I have to say, from all the quantified self apps I have come across, this one is the pretties and the easiest to use. I use Sleep Cycle, Moves and RunKeeper to name just a few.

It seems like quantified self apps are rapidly building a platform space of their own. It will be interesting to see how new wearable technologies like Google Glass, latest Android Wear and Apple’s iWatch take advantage of existing products already in the market. Or will they introduce completely new data-driven software and change the game? I for one am excited to see what happens next!

Any similar apps you’ve come across lately? Tell us in the comments below!

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