Usability and HCI issues hindering wearable computers being adopted by the wider market

Text Entry for Wearable Computing

Most of the commercialized wearable text input devices are wrist-worn keyboards that have adopted the minimization method of reducing keys. Generally, a drastic key reduction in order to achieve sufficient wearability increases KSPC (Keystrokes per Character), decreases text entry performance, and requires additional effort to learn a new typing method.

We are faced with wearability-usability trade off problems in designing a good wearable keyboard. To address this problem, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology adopted a new keyboard minimization method of reducing key pitch and have developed the One-key Keyboard. The traditional desktop keyboard has one key per character, but one-key Keyboard has only one key (70mmX35mm) on which a 10*5 QWERTY key array is printed. One-key Keyboard detects the position of the fingertip at the time of the keying event and figures out the character entered.

Among the detected problems during the research, high text input error rate is one of the tasks to be improved in the near future. This is inevitable because of the dramatic reduction of key space.

Source: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (2006)

http://delivery.acm.org/10.1145/1230000/1228229/p305-kim.pdf?key1=1228229&key2=7661497711&coll=Portal&dl=GUIDE&CFID=21326057&CFTOKEN=38652514

M.F.M Shameer

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One of the main HCI issues currently stooping some of the wearable computers available becoming pat of the main stream is the size of the device. I can understand that to make the device easier to use when the user is intending to use it but when the user isnt using it then it may hinder them in any other activity they are trying to do.

For example the ZYPad WL 1000 shown below, if you where to wear it for a whole day your arm would hurt, and the number of times you would have banged it against other objects would be huge.

Another example is this bluetooth watch by seiko

Picures taken from http://www.redwoodhouse.com/wearable/

M.Shannon

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Hey i've found this like talks about a new computer which can be strapped round the waist or even the wrist, personally I would like such an device hanging on my arm, more then likely my arm would fall off.

source:http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/25/symbol-technologies-wt4000-series-wearable-computer/

Mansoor

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Apple and Nike, Running Mates

iPod-compatible footwear that tracks runners' training routines is just the beginning of a collaboration betweenApple and Nike. Their first jointly produced product: the Nike+iPod Sport kit, which involves an electronic sensor inserted under the inner sole of a new Nike running shoe dubbed the Moire (pronounce (MOR-ay). That sensor talks to a small wireless receiver that attaches to Apple's iPod nano music player. The components work together to give voice prompts, interjected while music is playing, that tell runners how far they've gone and at what pace. The iPod will also keep track of the duration, distance, and other information on each run. The data could then be uploaded to a Mac or PC, and from there to a Nike Web site called Nikeplus.com, where users can track progress, set goals, and share results.

Source:

W. Plesiak