There have been lots of innovative utilization of apps for a number of causes. We’ve seen countless initiatives established to motivate people into completing tasks they may otherwise shy away from. Take SmartyCard’s website that rewards youngsters with tangible prizes for completing educational games, or Switch2Health, who use a reward-based scheme to motivate children to exercise. However, when selecting how to best motivate a mature audience, German-based GetUpp have taken a different approach, focusing on pressure from peers instead of rewards.

To begin using the GetUpp app, users enter a commitment they would like to meet, such as going to the gym after work. In that case, they’d then enter the location of the gym, and what time they should arrive there. Once the commitment is submitted, anyone’s friends can vote on whether they believe their companion will flourish in fulfilling it. The consumer meanwhile, must strive to arrive at their predetermined location in the correct time. When they are successful, they then open the app and submit their coordinates, which are verified using the phone’s GPS. GetUpp will broadcast this success towards the user’s friends. The other hand however, is it will even broadcast any failures to meet commitments, exposing the user to whatever humiliation their friends choose to bestow upon them. The app is currently available from the App Store.

When it comes to motivation, swapping the proverbial carrot for the harsher stick may well supply the extra nudge lots of people need to ensure they stay with commitments. But GetUpp’s use of location as a way of verifying user’s successes or failures shows once again the applications for such technology are seemingly limitless. Be it for cataloging typefaces, creating art, asking locals questions or grabbing a bargain, it seems there aren’t any industries that location-based technology can’t be put to good use within. How could you incorporate geo-location functionality to enhance a user-experience?