IIIT Hyderabad Researchers Uncover Adaptive Fitness Practices Among Urban Indians

A groundbreaking study from the International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad (IIIT-H) has shed light on how urban Indians engage with fitness apps, revealing a nuanced approach that prioritizes personal judgment over strict adherence to digital directives. Titled "Everyday HCI of Adaptive Fitness: The Bricolage of Self-Tracking in Urban India," the research challenges the assumption that users universally follow app-generated data, highlighting instead a creative blending of technology with local contexts.

Presented at the prestigious CHI 2026 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Barcelona, the paper draws from ethnographic fieldwork conducted by Shivam Singh, Raagav Ramakrishnan, and Chetan Mahipal under the supervision of Prof. Nimmi Rangaswamy. This work underscores the role of higher education institutions like IIIT-H in advancing Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research tailored to India's diverse socio-cultural landscape.

The Booming Fitness App Landscape in Urban India

India's fitness app market is experiencing explosive growth, driven by increasing smartphone penetration and a post-pandemic health consciousness among urban millennials and Gen Z. Valued at approximately USD 600 million in 2025, the sector is projected to surpass USD 1.8 billion by 2033, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) exceeding 15 percent. Urban centers like Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru lead adoption, where over 40 percent of young professionals report using apps for tracking steps, calories, and workouts.

Popular platforms such as HealthifyMe, Cult.fit, and global giants like MyFitnessPal and Strava have permeated daily routines. Yet, despite this surge, engagement metrics reveal drop-offs, with users often customizing or abandoning prescribed plans. This sets the stage for IIIT-H's investigation into why data-driven tools, designed primarily in Western contexts, fall short in resonating with Indian users.

Unpacking the Methodology: A Year-Long Ethnographic Dive

The IIIT-H team employed a qualitative ethnographic approach over a year, spanning cities including Hyderabad and Gwalior. They conducted in-depth interviews and observations with around 25 participants aged 18 to 40, all active users of fitness trackers and apps. Recruitment occurred through fitness centers, gyms, and snowball sampling, ensuring a diverse mix of genders, professions, and experience levels.

Participants shared diaries of their tracking habits, app screenshots, and real-time demonstrations. Researchers used affinity mapping to analyze themes emerging from conversations, revealing patterns of adaptation rather than compliance. This rigorous, context-rich methodology provides a robust baseline for understanding self-tracking in non-Western settings, contributing significantly to global HCI scholarship from an Indian perspective.

The Concept of Bricolage: Creatively Assembling Fitness Tools

Central to the study is the anthropological concept of bricolage—the art of piecing together available resources improvisationally. Urban Indians exemplify this by hybridizing digital apps with analog methods. Rather than relying solely on smartwatches for step counts, many pair them with handwritten logbooks for detailed workout notes or progress photos snapped on smartphones.

• One participant used a basic phone timer for gym sets while debating routine tweaks with fellow gym-goers.
• Another logged meals manually, overriding app calorie estimates ill-suited to home-cooked regional dishes like biryani or idli.
• During humid monsoons, users intuitively dialed down intensity, viewing profuse sweating as sufficient exertion.

This patchwork approach transforms rigid apps into flexible allies, aligning technology with lived realities.

Photo by Bhupathi Srinu on Unsplash

Personal Judgment: When Instinct Overrides Algorithms

Study participants frequently exercised personal judgment, treating app data as suggestions rather than mandates. Prof. Nimmi Rangaswamy notes, "Fitness is not always tech-driven or quantitative. There is a lot of subjectivity in what makes you feel fit." Users adjusted targets for festival indulgences—sweets during Diwali or feasts at weddings—without guilt, prioritizing holistic well-being over numerical perfection.

In traffic-clogged cities, walking to work counted as cardio despite low step alerts, and fatigue from long commutes prompted overrides. "The data is in their heads; they are constantly interpreting it," Rangaswamy explains. This reveals a tension between app universality and individual agency, where cultural intuition trumps algorithmic precision.Read the full IIIT-H blog post.

Cultural and Environmental Influences on App Adaptation

Indian contexts profoundly shape usage. Apps calibrated for Western diets overlook ghee-laden curries or spice-heavy thalis, leading to inaccurate calorie tracking. Humid climates in southern cities like Chennai render sweat-based metrics unreliable, while erratic monsoons disrupt outdoor routines.

Social factors play a key role too: Gym conversations inform adjustments more than screens, and family meals during festivals supersede daily quotas. Economic realities favor low-cost hybrids—free app features plus notebooks—over premium subscriptions. These adaptations highlight how environmental, dietary, and social elements necessitate localized design.

Challenges for Global Fitness Tech Providers

The study critiques Western-centric app design, which assumes disciplined data obedience. In India, this mismatch fosters skepticism; users debate app authority, customizing for relevance. Implications extend to HCI: Tech must evolve from prescriptive to participatory, incorporating cultural data like regional foods or weather variability.

For companies like Google Fit or Apple Health, ignoring these nuances risks churn. Localized features—AI attuned to Indian cuisines or festival calendars—could boost retention. As India's market balloons, culturally sensitive innovation becomes imperative for sustained growth.Telangana Today coverage.

Insights from Prof. Nimmi Rangaswamy and the Research Team

Prof. Rangaswamy emphasizes, "They switch between apps, logbooks, photos, and conversations—whatever works in their context." Co-author Shivam Singh highlights bricolage as empowering: Users aren't non-compliant but resourceful, reshaping tech to fit lives.

This perspective positions IIIT-H at the forefront of culturally grounded HCI, influencing global discourse on digital health equity.

Photo by Just random Captures on Unsplash

Future Outlook: Toward Context-Aware Fitness Technologies

Looking ahead, the study advocates hybrid systems blending quantitative tracking with qualitative inputs. AI personalization factoring Indian diets, multilingual support for regional languages, and community features mirroring gym chats could bridge gaps.

Higher education's role amplifies: Institutions like IIIT-H can lead interdisciplinary HCI-health collaborations, fostering apps that empower rather than dictate. With urban India's fitness market poised for exponential growth, adaptive tech promises healthier outcomes.

Implications for HCI Research and Higher Education in India

IIIT Hyderabad's contribution exemplifies how Indian universities drive HCI innovation, addressing Global South realities overlooked by Silicon Valley. By centering user agency, the study advances inclusive design principles, inspiring curricula in computer science and human-centered tech.

For researchers, it calls for longitudinal studies on app evolution post-localization. Policymakers may leverage findings for digital health initiatives, ensuring tech serves diverse populations.

In a nation where urban youth grapple with lifestyle diseases amid rapid digitization, such insights from premier institutions like IIIT-H pave the way for effective, empathetic technology.