DEMOCRATIZING WEARABLES FOR IDEATION, DESIGN, AND INTERACTION

Rapid advancement in ubiquitous computing has been pushing toward making wearable technology mainstream. However, there is no standard process for developing wearables that are personalizable for every user. To democratize wearable design and accessibility for individuals with diverse backgrounds and levels of expertise, we created a three-level process to (1) extend access to the vast knowledge base, (2) simplify the design and fabrication of wearables, and (3) support the interaction modality exploration for wearables. To facilitate the accessibility of wearables' knowledge, we developed a taxonomy that helped us categorize resources and centralize them in a single interface. The taxonomy will reduce the language barrier for developers with multidisciplinary backgrounds and different knowledge levels while enabling a better grasp of the information. To extend the accessibility of the design and fabrication of wearables, we developed a system that assists inexperienced users in designing custom hand wearables and fabricating them using a simplified desktop manufacturing process in a short time. Finally, we propose a system that allows users to explore new forms of interaction modalities with emergent technologies that can inspire the creation of new wearables. Our preliminary results show how our systems enable developers and novice users to access new knowledge and fabrication methodologies and explore new forms of interaction.