Poster presented at the Georgia Tech Symposium on Design and Wearable Technologies, on May 9th. This work focuses on the importance of considering context information while designing the interfaces for wearable computers, especially regarding wrist-worn devices.

1. Wrist-Worn Interaction
Design Challenges and Opportunities
Vivian Genaro Motti, Kelly Caine
School of Computing
Clemson University
This material is based upon work
supported by the National Science
Foundation under Grant No.
1314342. Any opinions, findings, and
conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those
of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.
WRIST WORN APPLICATIONS
Medical: for sensing vital
signs and for emergency
response
Fitness: for tracking and
analyzing physical activities
and raising users’ awareness
Authentication: to identify
and authenticate users based
on their biometrics
Interaction: for sensing,
recognizing and interpreting
arm and hand gestures
DESIGN IMPLICATIONS
• Prioritize conflicting quality
factors (ergonomics, privacy,
accessibility)
• Optimize interruptions and
avoid excessive alerts
• D e s i g n i n t e r f a c e s f o r
e f f i c i e n c y, b a s e d o n
microinteractions
REFERENCE
LOWENS, B.; MOTTI, V. G.;
C a i n e , K . 2 0 1 5 . D e s i g n
Recommendations to Improve
the User Interaction with Wrist
Worn Devices. WristSense:
Workshop on Sensing Systems
and Applications Using Wrist
Worn Smart Devices.
amulet-project.org
CONTEXTS OF USE
The interaction with WWDs
occurs in multiple contexts.
• U s e r s ’ a c t i v i t i e s v a r y
(exercising, driving, sleeping)
• Devices should adapt to
users’ dimensions and events
• Environmental constraints
must be considered
LIMITATIONS
Physical surface: to place
controllers for the user
interaction
Processing: to recognize and
interpret users’ input entries
Memory: to store content
and data
Power: to continuously sense
users’ input and display
contents
R e s o u r c e s : t o s e n s e
multimodal input entries
OPPORTUNITIES
Accessibility: to enable
quick access and responses
Responsiveness: to quickly
alert and notify users
Unobtrusiveness: enabling
users to move naturally
Versatility: to integrate
diverse sensors and actuators
Customization: to adjust the
s i z e a n d l o o k , t o f i t
different sizes and styles
AUDIO
Preferable for quick interactions (short
commands), and public contents
Suitable for silent environments and
quick responses
GESTURE
Unsuitable for crowded environments or
during intense physical activities
Prefer simple moves for precision and
recall
GRAPHIC
Provide enough contrast to ensure
readability
Mind the limited dimensions
VIBRO
TACTILE
Simple gestures (tap, touch) are preferred
Suitable for quick alerts and notifications
Ensure subtle and private responses,
however it is not always intuitive
Garmin
Foreruner
620
Thalmic
Myo
Samsung
Gear
S
Jawbone
Up
Amulet
Bracelet
Prototypes