Designing for Wearables

Foreword

WEARABLES IS A BROAD STROKE. A word that encompasses so many different things and contains a lot of underlying meaning and history. On the one hand, it implies a technology that we can wear—one that is close to the body, intimate, and personal. On the other hand, the things we wear can also be fashion, something that we use to express an outward appearance, convey personality, belonging, allegiances, and our existence in a specific place and time. As Scott so astutely explores in this book, when at their best, wearable tech encompasses both of these things and more. At their worst, they do neither and are a fleeting novelty.

We’ve been wearing technology for many thousands of years, everything from insulation to keep us warm, to mechanical watches that track the time. So, what’s new about the current branch of wearable tech? How does it bring new and exciting possibilities to life, and what is our role as designers in this world? That is the topic of this book, and one that is explored and elaborated on in depth in the next 11 chapters.

It’s an exciting time to be a designer working in technology. Miniaturization, toughness, price decreases, and long battery life have moved computing into new places and packages. Our phones and personal devices are now substantially faster and more capable than the super computers I used at university, and they’re loaded with purpose-built sensors that collect data on everything we do. With this capability comes a lot of opportunity for new ...