Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
07:47
Design and Evaluation of Smart Glasses for Food Intake and Physical Activity Classification
Published on: February 14, 2018
Exploring the Design Space of Glanceable Smartwatch Feedback Displays: Experimental Study
Yuxuan Li1, Mark Newman1, Predrag Klasnja1
1School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth
|July 23, 2026
Summary
Stylization negatively impacts smartwatch feedback accuracy and usability, while optimal granularity improves comprehension. Salience has no effect, informing the design of effective health behavior change technology.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Behavioral Science
- Wearable Technology
Background:
- Self-monitoring technologies utilize glanceable displays for continuous health behavior feedback.
- The impact of specific design elements on the interpretability and usability of these displays remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how stylization, granularity, and salience affect user understanding of glanceable smartwatch feedback for daily step goals.
Main Methods:
- An online simulation study with 202 participants evaluated 16 smartwatch display conditions.
- Factors manipulated included stylization (2x2 factorial), granularity (1%-20% increments), and salience.
- Measures included estimation error, perceived usability, and acceptability, analyzed via generalized estimating equations and linear regression.
Main Results:
- High stylization decreased accuracy and negatively impacted comprehension and usability.
- Granularity showed a nonlinear effect, with optimal error reduction at 5%-10% increments.
- Salience did not affect outcomes; previous smartwatch users were less accurate but rated displays more favorably.
Conclusions:
- Designers should consider the trade-offs between stylization and usability in glanceable feedback.
- Granularity optimization is crucial for effective progress visualization.
- Findings guide the development of more effective smartwatch feedback for health behavior change.
