Webelow Wear

The age of wearables is upon us and growing stronger with the designers and researchers coming out of the woodworks. This is great, as any any new era needs those quick and innovative creators for the industry to truly stand the test of time. However, what we’re facing now is everyone trying jump on a wagon that is not necessarily the best ride to success. The problem: user-unfriendly products.

Stick out your tongue to start/stop your music. Yeah...seriously.

Take for example Kazuhiro Taniguchi. He is using a biocommand system that allows movements from the temple to dictate actions of the wearable. This allows the user to use a wearable technology with no interface and with a hands free application. Great. But seriously, do you want to stick out your tongue every time you want to stop or start your music like his new Ipod System controlled by facial expressions? This is just silly. First of all, it is not intuitive. That is, no other technology, specifically mp3 players, calls for such an action. I’m all for the advancement of technology and therefore the simplification of said technology. But I am wholeheartedly opposed to incorporating actions that in no way go with the grain of the product. I want to push a button to press play. If that is too archaic, use movements that make sense. I want to stop my music so implement a removal touch pad system that I can tap to turn off.  Taking it a step further, I can fast forward or rewind depending on which ear plug wire I pull. This makes sense!

The time you say? Let me check my virtual watch...

Still confused? Take a lesson from a recent TED Talk with Pattie Maes’ lab at MIT. They have created a wearable with a projection system that allows for such easy use that it redefines humans and computers as we know it. As one of the many amazing applications, you can, while wearing a sort of camera necklace and sensors on your finger tips, look at your wrist as though you had a watch, draw a circle and the projection system displays a clock with the current time.

Wow, your thumb and pinky really are a phone!

Even cooler, pull out your virtual key pad on the palm of your hand, and let your friends know that you’re running a little late.  Seriously. This is cool!

The world of wearables is an awesome world with infinite possibilities, but designers please, oh please, consider your customer. We’re not all tech geeks. We don’t all get off on the smallest redesign of a computer, especially if it means having to walk backwards while tapping our head and rubbing our stomachs. Keep it simple.