Social Impact: Wearables for Good
When one hears the term “wearables” we often think of Fitbit, or perhaps Apple Watch. However, this terms is much broader than health, fashion and communications extensions. Wearables have the opportunity to have a big social impact, which is the founding idea for the Wearables for Good Challenge and is discussed in the “Wearables for Good Use Case Handbook” from UNICEF and frog design.
The handbook challenges technologists, designers, and readers to define “wearables” in broader terms. They are something not necessarily worn on the wrist, but can include devices in the body, included in clothing or kept nearby, or worn on different areas of the body (think hearing aid). The data drawn from these wearables may also go beyond individual information, to include that of an entire community or area. To create wearables for a developing consumer, several hurdles need to be overcome, and specifications considered.
Four focus areas are defined:
- Alert / Response
- Diagnosis / Treatment / Referral
- Behavior Change
- Data Collection / Data Insights
Products entered into this challenge are encouraged to be “open source and in the public domain”. Interested parties can enter the Wearables for Good challenge at www.wearablesforgood.com
Join the conversation on Twitter via #WearablesforGood
This blog originally posted on the Center for Digital Strategies website.