Designing for Humans in a Digital Age: Building Wearable Technology to Convey Information and Emotions

The purpose of our studio is to inspire attendees on what are the most important issues to think about when designing wearable technology products that provides meaningful experiences. During the studio, attendees will have the chance to discuss the best approach to design wearable tech products that can convey both meaningful information and emotions. Attendees will also build a prototype for a wearable technology product that solves a real problem, in a team setting. We will encourage attendees to think beyond well-known wearable technology categories such as smart watches, fitness bands, and smart glasses, but rather envision products that fit our body in newly imagined ways, creating new product categories altogether. The agenda of the studio will include discussion of "10 Principles of Good Design" by Dieter Rams, and case studies that shows the importance of invisible, unobtrusive design in wearable technology. A majority portion of the studio will be hands on, where attendees will design and prototype their own conceptual wearable tech product. The studio will be led by Billie Whitehouse, the co-founder and design director of Wearable Experiments. Since the company's takeoff in 2013, Billie has led multiple innovative wearable technology projects, such as Fundawear and Alert Shirt, which have won a Cannes Lion and Clio Sports Award respectively. Billie has recently made the list of 2014 Silicon Alley 100 by Business Insider. With a strong background in fashion and design, it is Billie's goal to put more intelligence into the clothes we wear every day.