A research on wearability factor in design through a product example designed for health benefits

Wearables are within the scope of a number of multidisciplinary research areas in literature in addition to being the subject of different user interactions with their technologies and wearability properties. While most of the research areas are about the technological equipment and constraints of these products and systems, a small number of researches focus on the design problems of these products. There are a limited number of studies investigating the phenomenon of "wearability" as a design problem or area which is a distinguishing characteristic of wearable technologies from other existing technologies. The aim of this study is to create a classification model in which the phenomenon of wearability can be considered within the scope of design discipline. The multi-functional nature of wearable technologies and their unique characteristics such as their classification under diverse product categorizations requires a comprehensive research that could contribute to their field of design with an appropriate focus on context. Today, topics like user acceptance and adoption are gaining significance in design research because of properties of wearable technologies such as innovation, technology and uninterrupted interaction with the body. In this study, the phenomenon of "wearability" was examined with a focus on user acceptance and adoption approaches. This review was made specifically for the "product category designed for health benefits" extensively used in wearable technologies and that includes a wide variety of products. The study presents a design classification that could be noteworthy in design researches in this area. With an experimental study conducted, constrained by a part of the classification created, a sample study was presented on how categories contained in the study can be addressed in a research context. The findings of the experimental study were evaluated from the perspective of technology acceptance and categorization research literature. At the end of the study, suggestions were made that could contribute to the design researches regarding the role of the phenomenon of wearability in the acceptance and adoption process.