Always with Me: Exploring Wearable Displays as a Lightweight Intimate Communication Channel

Pradthana Jarusriboonchai, Hong Li, Emmi Harjuniemi, Heiko Müller, Jonna Häkkilä

TEI ’20: Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction – February 2020

Simple and low bandwidth communication on computers has been found to promote intimacy between couples. In this work, we further explore this minimal communication in the form of wearables. This pictorial presents an in-the-wild concept study of low bandwidth ambient wearable displays as a communication channel between couples. The goal is to understand the contexts in which the technology might be used and provide benefit. Our findings show that simple communications through a wearable device could provide an additional channel for communication. The wearable form factors also creates the feeling of being always connected. We highlight the importance and influence of form factors, contexts, and activities towards user experience. We discuss the opportunities this study opens for the future design of wearable ambient displays.

Jarusriboonchai, P., Li, H., Harjuniemi, E., Müller, H., & Häkkilä, J. (2020, February). Always with Me: Exploring Wearable Displays as a Lightweight Intimate Communication Channel. In Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction (pp. 771-783).