A design framework for playful wearables

Abstract

Deployment of wearables for games has attracted the interest of designers and researchers both in academia and industry. However, few of these projects treat wearables as an integral part of the gameplay, often considering them as an extension of the central on-screen experience. While preliminary forays into wearable play show promise, we see a need for a rigorous design framework to illuminate the possibilities for the future of wearables for playful interaction design. In this paper we propose a Design Framework for Playful Wearables stemming from our extensive research and hands-on experience in leading four long-term game research projects incorporating wearables. We divide our framework into three high-level categories: the performative, the social and the interactive. We contend that this design space can be both a design tool for creators of wearable playful activities, as well as an analytical lens for evaluating existing wearable systems.