Use and Adoption Challenges of Wearable Activity Trackers

Shih, Patrick C.; Han, Kyungsik; Poole, Erika Shehan; Rosson, Mary Beth; Carroll, John M.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/73649 Copy

Description

Title

Use and Adoption Challenges of Wearable Activity Trackers

Author(s)

• Shih, Patrick C.
• Han, Kyungsik
• Poole, Erika Shehan
• Rosson, Mary Beth
• Carroll, John M.

Issue Date

2015-03-15

Keyword(s)

• health informtics
• human-computer interaction
• personal informatics

Abstract

Wearable activity trackers are becoming widely adopted, yet challenges continue to exist in effective long-term use and adoption. Existing research focuses mostly on the use and adoption challenges associated with technical- or device-related issues and respective workaround strategies. Little is known about how personal preferences and other individual characteristics affect use and adoption of wearable activity trackers. In this paper, we present a six-week user study of 30 users using physical activity trackers embedded in clip-on and smart watch physical devices. We describe novel implications of the usage patterns, including the need to help people be mindful of their physical activity trackers, to understand and further articulate gender differences in use and adoption of wearable devices, to incorporate big data analytics in informing and coaching people’s practices, and to reframe data inaccuracy as a byproduct of mismanagement of expectations of the device’s capabilities and its expected usage.

Publisher

iSchools

Series/Report Name or Number

iConference 2015 Proceedings

Type of Resource

text

Language

English

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/73649

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Copyright 2015 is held by the authors. Copyright permissions, when appropriate, must be obtained directly from the authors.

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