What use would it be to organisations if employees tracked how they felt at work? A new app called Expereal aims to do exactly that for individuals.
The app enables users to log how they feel ‘in the moment’. creator Jonathan Cohen says he is interested to find out how people feel while experiencing something rather than after the event, which can prompt a different response and lead to a cognitive bias, as explained in Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow.
Whether or not organisations find a potential in such apps, they certainly provide insights into the ‘quantified self‘. using a range of apps, people can now measure everything from food consumed to blood oxygen levels.
It is an interesting trend that throws up lots of questions and possibilities for organisations. Clearly, the adoption of these apps shows user appetite for this type of data. The data also provides the individual with immense amounts of information about themselves that is nothing to do with the employer – yet. It could be very useful to the employer.
It is early days for these kinds of apps but they are here and are generating heaps of interesting and potentially useful information.
In the meantime, Cohen says the aim of his app is to develop ‘Self-knowledge, leading to self-undersdtanding, leading to self improvement.’
