March 2014

Mohammad Anas Wahaj | 12 mar 2014

Wearable devices have the potential to become a part of human lifestyle, but for their sustained use they should be able to induce long-term healthy behavioral changes in users. According to Michael A. M. Davies of MIT, companies developing wearables have to understand the importance of three factors of behavioral science - habit formation, social motivation and goal reinforcements - to overcome the challenge of sustained engagement and provide long-term health benefits. Research by Endeavor Partners found that 1/10th of the US comsumers above the age 18 owns a modern activity tracker but half of them no longer use it. A large percentage of wearable devices have fatal user experience flaws and fail to fulfil one or more of the nine baseline criteria of product design (selectability, design, out-of-box experience, fit/comfort, quality, user experience, integration ability, lifestyle compatibility and overall utility). For successful and effective wearable devices and related services, companies have to incorporate the insights provided by the science of behavior change. Read on...

VentureBeat: How to make wearables stick: Use them to change human behavior
Author: Michael A. M. Davies