Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Managing Expectations
Aspartofyourdocumentation,provideinformationaboutkeepingyourwearablesinwork-
ing order for as long as possible. Help others benefit from your own mistakes by issu-
ing warnings and callouts for any sticky spots or commonly overlooked problems. Many
homemade creations aren't durable enough for everyday wear; others require routine main-
tenance. Omitting this information when documenting a wearables project can lead to un-
realistic expectations of performance and dissatisfaction in execution. Set your user up for
success!
Include photos and instructions for troubleshooting when things don't work as planned.
This can be the most difficult part of writing a tutorial, because everyone comes to the
table with a different set of experiences informing their work. You might simply not think
of all the things that could possibly go wrong. Publishing frequently and interacting with
the community online can help you build your skill in thinking of potential mistakes be-
fore other users make them.
Future of Wearables
Wearable electronics is a very creatively fertile field, with new companies starting up with
wearable devices seemingly every day. It's clear that the next great technology frontier is
the human body, where options range from medical devices to high fashion, and every-
where in between. Sensing technology will be constantly gathering data about humans'
every move, wirelessly communicating with our other devices, and communicating with
the Internet to give us assessments and instructions.
Given that wearable electronics are so close to our physical selves, they must inher-
ently express our personal styles. Mass-market gadgets like MP3 players and phones usu-
ally let you customize the color of the device, either with a limited set of options or an ac-
cessories/case market. These limited customization options won't fly when it comes to in-
tegrating electronics into the fabric of life and style. Thus the future must hold more mass
customization for the look and feel of devices that augment our senses of self.
Open source technologies are likely to play a gigantic role in the future of wearable
electronics. Who owns the data collected by your fitness tracker? The intensely personal
nature of wearables implies a similarly intense controversy over proprietary systems inter-
acting with the body. In the future, wearable devices might even be considered part of the
body—it seems natural to want to open and repair that device yourself. Just like putting
together an outfit from disparate pieces, it will be necessary to have open standards for
common wearables functions such as sensing and displaying information/color. It will be
commonplace to program your wardrobe to do your bidding.
