The Conceptual Pond – a Persuasive Tool for Quantifiable Qualitative Assessment

“The Conceptual Pond” is a persuasive application designed to gather qualitative input through a multiplatform assessment interface. The process of using the application serves as a conceptual aid for personal reflection as well as providing a compilation and evaluation system with the ability to transform this input into quantitative data. In this chapter, a pilot study of this application is presented and discussed. The aim of this chapter is the discussion of central issues in the system, the use of semantic fields, user freedom vs. default options, graphical interface, persuasive technology design, and the epistemological potential of the application. In this discourse, contextualized rhetorical and persuasive technology theories are implemented. Functionality and epistemological impact is exemplified through several use cases, one of these linked to the EUROPlot project. In a more comprehensive scope, this chapter adds to the discussion of the role of IT systems in experiencing the world and reflecting on it, thus breaking new ground for designing persuasive applications supporting human recognition.