Liang Jun, Xian Deqiang, Liu Xingyu, Fu Jing, Zhang Xingting, Tang Buzhou, Lei Jianbo
IT Center, Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
College of Information Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, China.
JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2018 Nov 8;6(11):e11066. doi: 10.2196/11066.
Wearable devices have the potential to promote a healthy lifestyle because of their real-time data monitoring capabilities. However, device usability is a critical factor that determines whether they will be adopted on a large scale. Usability studies on wearable devices are still scarce.
This study aims to compare the functions and attributes of seven mainstream wearable devices and to evaluate their usability.
The wearable devices selected were the Apple Watch, Samsung Gear S, Fitbit Surge, Jawbone Up3, Mi Band, Huawei Honor B2, and Misfit Shine. A mixed method of feature comparison and a System Usability Scale (SUS) evaluation based on 388 participants was applied; the higher the SUS score, the better the usability of the product.
For features, all devices had step counting, an activity timer, and distance recording functions. The Samsung Gear S had a unique sports track recording feature and the Huawei Honor B2 had a unique wireless earphone. The Apple Watch, Samsung Gear S, Jawbone Up3, and Fitbit Surge could measure heart rate. All the devices were able to monitor sleep, except the Apple Watch. For product characteristics, including attributes such as weight, battery life, price, and 22 functions such as step counting, activity time, activity type identification, sleep monitoring, and expandable new features, we found a very weak negative correlation between the SUS scores and price (r=-.10, P=.03) and devices that support expandable new features (r=-.11, P=.02), and a very weak positive correlation between the SUS scores and devices that support the activity type identification function (r=.11, P=.02). The Huawei Honor B2 received the highest score of mean 67.6 (SD 16.1); the lowest Apple Watch score was only 61.4 (SD 14.7). No significant difference was observed among brands. The SUS score had a moderate positive correlation with the user's experience (length of time the device was used) (r=.32, P<.001); participants in the medical and health care industries gave a significantly higher score (mean 61.1, SD 17.9 vs mean 68.7, SD 14.5, P=.03).
The functions of wearable devices tend to be homogeneous and usability is similar across various brands. Overall, Mi Band had the lowest price and the lightest weight. Misfit Shine had the longest battery life and most functions, and participants in the medical and health care industries had the best evaluation of wearable devices. The perceived usability of mainstream wearable devices is unsatisfactory and customer loyalty is not high. A consumer's SUS rating for a wearable device is related to their personal situation instead of the device brand. Device manufacturers should put more effort into developing innovative functions and improving the usability of their products by integrating more cognitive behavior change techniques.
可穿戴设备因其实时数据监测功能，具有促进健康生活方式的潜力。然而，设备的可用性是决定其能否被大规模采用的关键因素。关于可穿戴设备的可用性研究仍然匮乏。
本研究旨在比较七款主流可穿戴设备的功能和属性，并评估其可用性。
所选的可穿戴设备有苹果手表、三星Gear S、Fitbit Surge、Jawbone Up3、小米手环、华为荣耀手环B2和Misfit Shine。采用了特征比较的混合方法以及基于388名参与者的系统可用性量表（SUS）评估；SUS得分越高，产品的可用性越好。
在功能方面，所有设备都具备计步、活动定时器和距离记录功能。三星Gear S具有独特的运动轨迹记录功能，华为荣耀手环B2具有独特的无线耳机。苹果手表、三星Gear S、Jawbone Up3和Fitbit Surge能够测量心率。除苹果手表外，所有设备都能够监测睡眠。对于产品特性，包括重量、电池续航、价格等属性以及计步、活动时间、活动类型识别、睡眠监测和可扩展新功能等22项功能，我们发现SUS得分与价格（r = -0.10，P = 0.03）以及支持可扩展新功能的设备（r = -0.11，P = 0.02）之间存在非常微弱的负相关，与支持活动类型识别功能的设备之间存在非常微弱的正相关（r = 0.11，P = 0.02）。华为荣耀手环B2的平均得分最高，为67.6（标准差16.1）；苹果手表得分最低，仅为61.4（标准差14.7）。各品牌之间未观察到显著差异。SUS得分与用户体验（设备使用时长）呈中度正相关（r = 0.32，P < 0.001）；医疗保健行业的参与者给出的分数显著更高（平均61.1，标准差17.9 对比平均68.7，标准差14.5，P = 0.03）。
可穿戴设备的功能趋于同质化，各品牌的可用性相似。总体而言，小米手环价格最低、重量最轻。Misfit Shine电池续航最长且功能最多，医疗保健行业的参与者对可穿戴设备的评价最佳。主流可穿戴设备的感知可用性不尽人意，客户忠诚度不高。消费者对可穿戴设备的SUS评分与其个人情况相关，而非设备品牌。设备制造商应更加努力开发创新功能，并通过整合更多认知行为改变技术来提高产品的可用性。
