Design Preferences On Wearable E-Nose Systems For Diabetes

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate potential users' preferences and expectations for fabric-based wearable electronic nose (e-nose) system designs in order to develop painless and non-invasive monitoring systems for diabetes.Design/methodology/approach - After developing a fabric-based wearable sensor, this study used an online survey with a mixture of closed- and open-ended questions about people's desires and preferences for use-contexts, product types, design styles, and other key design factors.Findings - This study investigated the preferences and expectations on designs of wearable e-nose systems for diabetes. The results showed that designers and developers need to consider important design components including sizes, shapes, and colors for practical wearable e-nose system designs. There were strong positive and significant correlations between participant characteristics and preferred wearable e-nose system design factors.Research limitations/implications - Future research could compare differences between different age groups with different types of diabetes.Practical implications - Understanding these differences will help designers and marketers target consumers and create diverse designs with different versions for success in the market.Social implications - Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death and 29.1 million people (9.3 percent) in the USA have diabetes (National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2014). This research is to develop painless and non-invasive monitoring systems for diabetics. The results will be beneficial for diabetes to improve their quality of life and wellness.Originality/value - There is lack of research for considering designs of wearable monitoring systems for diabetes. This research will be the first research to understand design preferences and expectations for developing wearable e-nose monitoring systems for diabetes.