User Experience of Wearable Technologies: A Comparative Analysis of Textile-Based and Accessory-Based Wearable Products

Abstract

Wearable technology components have been integrated into accessories and then clothes over the evolutionary process. In the future, it is predicted that wearable technologies will be patchable and implantable. Despite progress in wearable technologies, there is an adaptation problem in wearable technologies. One of the most important reasons for this problem is the negative product experiences of the users. In this study, we investigated the user experiences of accessory-based and textile-based wearable technologies. Due to the temporality of the user experience, a mixed method was developed, including a survey for the expectations before use, a diary-interview for during use, and a semi-structured interview for after use. The data obtained with these methods were analyzed with SPSS and NVivo programs and the two different wearing-style experiences were compared. As a result of these analyses, it has been revealed that textile-based wearable technologies give a more positive experience during and after use and may be preferred over accessory-based wearable technologies in terms of wearability.