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An affordance lens for wearable information systems

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  • Raquel Benbunan-Fich

Abstract

The proliferation of wearable technologies calls for the development of conceptual lenses to understand the drivers of their success. This research employs an affordance lens rooted in the individual perspective of Activity Theory to examine personal information systems built around wearable sensors. Since wearable devices have size constraints, designers have produced a variety of simple technology products lacking screens and buttons, but supplemented with customised apps. Due to their novelty, the impact of these minimalist wearables on the quality of the user experience is not yet well understood. To investigate this issue, this study proposes a theoretically driven framework of affordances and applies it to qualitatively analyse a sample of online user reviews from a specific fitness tracker wristband. The findings suggest that minimalist wearables produce a more complex user experience if affordances are not properly balanced and combined. Specific usability challenges stem from affordance integration failures and inconsistencies. These results have theoretical and practical implications. Overall, an affordance lens offers a unified view of user experience that is valuable for researchers and practitioners seeking to understand what makes modern wearable information systems transparent to use at the physical and digital level.

Suggested Citation

  • Raquel Benbunan-Fich, 2019. "An affordance lens for wearable information systems," European Journal of Information Systems, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 256-271, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:tjisxx:v:28:y:2019:i:3:p:256-271
    DOI: 10.1080/0960085X.2018.1512945
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    Cited by:

    1. Lydia Izu & Brenda Scholtz & Ifeoluwapo Fashoro, 2024. "Wearables and Their Potential to Transform Health Management: A Step towards Sustainable Development Goal 3," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-23, February.
    2. Saggi Nevo & Dorit Nevo & Alain Pinsonneault, 2021. "Personal Achievement Goals, Learning Strategies, and Perceived IT Affordances," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 32(4), pages 1298-1322, December.
    3. Pascal Fechner & Fabian König & Jannik Lockl & Maximilian Röglinger, 2024. "How Artificial Intelligence Challenges Tailorable Technology Design," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 66(3), pages 357-376, June.
    4. Daniel Fürstenau & Martin Gersch & Stefanie Schreiter, 2023. "Digital Therapeutics (DTx)," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 65(3), pages 349-360, June.

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