Wearables for All: Development of Guidelines to Stimulate Accessible Wearable Technology Design
Jobke Wentzel, Eric Velleman, Thea van der Geest · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A) · doi:10.1145/2899475.2899496
Summary
This paper from the University of Twente and The Accessibility Foundation (Netherlands) presents the rationale and methodology for developing accessibility guidelines specifically for wearable technology — a domain where no dedicated accessibility standards existed at the time. The authors argue that wearables offer significant potential for people with disabilities because they are hands-free, body-worn, and support multimodal input/output (touch, gesture, voice, vibration, temperature, sound), but this potential is only realized if accessibility is designed in from the start rather than added as an afterthought. The paper highlights how traditional assistive devices suffer from three drawbacks that wearables could address: they are too bulky and numerous to carry, they can be stigmatizing (e.g., bright yellow infrared obstacle detectors that beep loudly), and they are inflexible regarding technology updates. However, existing accessibility guidelines like WCAG focus on web content, and while mobile developer guidelines exist for iOS and Android, there is no equivalent for wearable devices like smart glasses or smartwatches. The authors note that accessibility features on consumer wearables like Google Glass and Apple Watch often appear bolted on rather than integrated as core design considerations, and app developers frequently fail to leverage accessibility features built into wearable operating systems.
Key findings
The project methodology combines a literature review, developer interviews, a multi-round Delphi study with both developers and people with disabilities, and retrospective testing against actual accessible wearable applications (including smart glasses for wayfinding aimed at visually impaired people). Four preliminary design principles emerged: (1) Use multimodal presentation of information so users with different abilities can access content in their preferred way. (2) Use multimodal interaction so users can interact with systems following individual preferences and needs. (3) Provide relevant feedback on user behavior and system actions, including confirmation, status updates, and error notifications. (4) Adaptation of settings (input/output modalities, feedback intensity) should be contextual — based on location, task, and user preferences — with the system being self-learning to optimize automated adaptive settings. The paper also identifies a layered accessibility challenge: wearable devices, their operating systems, their companion mobile apps or websites, and third-party applications all need to support accessibility independently, and a gap at any layer can break the chain.
Relevance
This work addresses the important and still-developing field of wearable accessibility at a formative stage. As wearables become more embedded in daily life — from health monitoring to workplace productivity to navigation — their inaccessibility risks deepening the digital divide for people with disabilities. The paper's framing of wearables as potential replacements for stigmatizing assistive devices is particularly compelling: a pair of smart glasses that provides navigation cues is far less conspicuous than a traditional obstacle detection device. For accessibility practitioners, the four preliminary principles around multimodal presentation, multimodal interaction, feedback, and contextual adaptation provide a useful starting framework applicable beyond wearables to any emerging technology platform. The observation that accessibility must span the entire ecosystem — device, OS, companion app, and third-party apps — remains a systemic challenge in wearable accessibility today.
Tags: wearable technology · universal design · guidelines · visual impairment · multimodal interaction · digital divide · human-centered design
Standards referenced: WCAG 2.0 · UAAG 2.0 · WCAG2ICT · ETSI EG 202 191