In a corporate step challenge, the number that matters is not total steps but valid synced days: days on which a participant’s steps arrived from the phone’s health store, passed the programme’s rules and were not manually typed. Sociana reads steps through Health Connect on Android and Apple Health on iPhone. A smartwatch counts only if it feeds one of those stores; Sociana does not connect to Fitbit, Garmin or Strava directly. That route is the first and biggest data-quality decision, and everything else follows from it.
We have not published a phone-versus-watch accuracy comparison, and nothing here claims one. This post is about how to design a challenge so that whichever device people carry, the leaderboard is fair and the numbers you report are defensible. It reports steps and consistency only, and never infers health outcomes.
What is a “valid synced day”?
A valid synced day is one calendar day, for one participant, with step data that the platform accepts for scoring. In our measurement set it is the base unit of wellness reporting: the count of valid synced days divided by the days the participant was eligible. Manual entries are excluded from it.
Why days and not steps? Because a challenge is a habit programme before it is a fitness one. A participant who syncs on twenty-eight of thirty days is doing something different from one who has a single huge day. Valid days also give you a denominator that is easy to explain to a CHRO.
How does the data actually reach Sociana?
Participants open the Engagement area, tap Count Your Steps, grant permission to the phone’s health store and, once the challenge starts, tap Sync Steps. Android guides mention Health Connect and Google Fit; iPhone uses Apple Health. Sync happens daily. The platform stores a start date, goals and daily caps, and shows today, total, average, best-day and hourly views, with journey progress and weekly pace in programme apps such as the HSBC Wellness Expedition.
So the chain has four links: the sensor (phone or watch), the health store, the Sociana app and the Sociana record. Quality problems happen at each link.
Where do phone and watch data differ?
We will be careful: the points below describe mechanisms, not measured differences.
| Link | Phone-only participant | Watch participant |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | The phone counts steps while carried | The watch counts while worn, including when the phone is left behind |
| Source in the store | One source | Possibly two sources (phone and watch) writing to the same store |
| Duplicates | Unlikely | The store must de-duplicate overlapping sources; discrepancies are possible |
| Sync timing | Phone to store, then to the app | Watch to its own app to the store to the app; late arrival is more likely |
| Gaps | When the phone is not carried | When the watch is not worn or has not synced |
The practical lesson is that a participant’s count can be right on their wrist and late in your system. The operational risks are well known: device discrepancies, duplicate sources and late sync. A fair challenge plans for them rather than treating each complaint as an exception.
What controls does the platform offer?
Sociana has a set of integrity controls, and they work best when combined.
- Manual-entry exclusion. Ignores steps typed by hand so only sensor data counts. In the HSBC Wellness Expedition, manual entries show as not counted.
- Daily cap. Limits steps counted per day so outliers do not distort the ranking.
- Unusual-day flag. Marks days with abnormal counts for admin review.
- Admin-added steps with a record. Authorised corrections, which are different from participant-typed entries and need a published policy.
- Pause sync. Organisers can pause syncing for maintenance.
- Boost days. Multipliers on selected days to lift participation. Use sparingly, since they change what the totals mean.
Policy questions to settle before launch
Controls only work if the rules are written down. Settle these in advance.
- Which sources count? Phone only, or watch via the health store too.
- What is the cap? And how do you explain it to the keenest walkers.
- How are late syncs treated? The next sync picks up the day, but for how long after the day closes will you accept it?
- Who may add steps, and why? A named admin route, with a reason recorded.
- What happens to flagged days? Review, then accept, adjust or reject, with the participant told.
- What is a valid day for scoring? A minimum number of steps, or any synced day.
- How do you handle people with no phone health permission? Withdrawal of health permission is the participant’s choice and must stay possible.
Why totals mislead, and what to report instead
Totals favour the already fit. A participant who walks a lot every day beats a participant who walked less but started from a sedentary life, even if the second has transformed their habits. In the Road to Phuket programme, daily exports, consistency and variance-based rankings were requested for exactly this reason. They show who kept going, not just who walked furthest.
A reporting set we recommend:
| Measure | Definition | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Valid synced days | Valid days divided by eligible days | The base unit of participation |
| Median daily steps | Per participant, over valid days | Resists one huge day |
| Consistency | Share of eligible days at or above a personal or team threshold | Rewards showing up |
| Improvement | Change from an early window to a later window | Rewards progress |
| Team target attainment | Teams meeting their target on a day | Keeps teams invested |
| Manual-entry exclusions | Count of excluded entries | A fairness audit |
None of these claims a health benefit. We report steps and activity, and we never infer health outcomes.
What should you not claim?
The honest limits are part of the design. Sociana is a step and activity challenge inside a programme app, not a corporate wellness platform with coaching or biometrics. Health Connect and Apple Health only. No direct Fitbit or Garmin. Walking participation must not be presented as a measured medical benefit. And do not publish a step benchmark from a single programme. Our minimum for a wellness cut is three programmes and 300 participants.
A short example of a fair rule set
Imagine a six-week team challenge for a mid-sized company. The rules might say: steps count from the phone’s health store only; a cap applies per day; a day counts as valid if synced within 48 hours; flagged days are reviewed within two working days; manual entries do not count; boosts run on two named days; and the final report states valid days, median steps and consistency, with the participant count and dates beside each. That is an example of a policy, not a result.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sociana sync directly with Garmin or Fitbit? No. The route is the phone’s health store: Health Connect on Android, Apple Health on iPhone.
Can participants add steps manually? Manual entries can be excluded. Authorised admin-added steps are separate and recorded.
What if someone forgets to sync? The next sync picks up the missed day, subject to the window your rules set.
Where are the benchmarks? On the valid synced wellness days page, once the minimum sample of approved programmes is met.
To design a challenge with your own rules, talk to the team.