UCSC: Literature, Semiotics, and the Psychology of Adherence
Adherence is design. Not willpower.
The Story
After the military, I earned my degree in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz, then completed graduate coursework in Critical Theory and Semiotics (coursework completed; degree not conferred).
Most people hear that and think, "What does that have to do with fitness?"
A lot, actually.
Because fitness isn't just physiology. It's behavior. It's identity. It's the stories people tell themselves:
- "I'm not athletic."
- "I always fall off."
- "I don't have time."
- "I need the perfect plan first."
Semiotics is basically the study of meaning—how people interpret signals. In fitness products, everything is a signal:
- the words you use
- the tone of the app
- the way progress is framed
- the confidence or shame implied by messaging
That education taught me how to look at training not just as sets and reps, but as a human system. And the biggest failure point in fitness systems isn't usually intensity. It's confusion. Friction. Overwhelm. Poor expectations.
When I later built businesses and products, I kept returning to that:
- Make it clear.
- Make it doable.
- Make it repeatable.
- Make the next step obvious.
That's how people change. Not with perfect motivation—with better design.
What I Learned
- Clarity is a retention strategy.
- People don't quit because they're lazy; they quit because the system is confusing or unrealistic.
- Language shapes behavior—especially for beginners.
- Trust is built through transparency, not hype.
How it shows up in AIWorkoutGenerator
- Plain-English explanations instead of jargon dumps.
- A bias toward "doable next steps" rather than overwhelming program outputs.
- The product is built to reduce cognitive load and make consistency easier.
Proof / Artifacts
Artifacts and images will be added here (photos, certificates, screenshots, etc.)