Persuasive wearable technology design for health and wellness

Abstract

Given the world's obesity epidemic and battle with chronic illness, there is a growing body of research that suggests that a moderate physical lifestyle has significant impact on psychological and physical health. Wearable computing has the potential to encourage physical activity by increasing health awareness and persuading change through just-in-time feedback. This form of technology could help individuals manage lifestyle related factors and implement healthy routines. In this paper, we explore the benefits and tradeoffs of current wearable health technologies along with the persuasion methods employed by their designers to motivate healthy behavior change. We also discuss the challenges and limitations of implementing wearable technologies and suggest possible improvements.