Microwearables
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Microwearables
Emerging
Early but significant signals and drivers indicate this trend is emerging. 5+ years before mass adoption if the product or service has mass user value.
So, who wants to get rid of their phones?
The growing symbiotic relationship between bodies and technology is smoothing out friction between what we want and how we get it.
Microwearable digital devices could close that gap entirely, but is the thought of putting microchips on our bodies at odds with our new privacy paradigm?
The new privacy paradigm is just the latest in the evolution of how we understand data and privacy. Considerations that inform this:
Data as currency
Transparency in how data is used
Equal benefit to users and brands when data is leveraged
Bad actors misuse of data for manipulation
How might brands help consumers augment their physical selves, for comfort, convenience, and health, without tripping alarms around safety, privacy, and autonomy?
Where we started
The first wearable in the history of wearables is....
Just kidding, the Nintendo Glove was a momentous occasion in the world of wearables, but the first commercial wearable was a little more Dick Tracy than Lawnmower Man.
Image Source: Wizard, Universal Pictures, 1989
Digital wearables have been on the scene for decades.
The first wearable to have a mass-market impact was Hewlett Packard’s calculator watch in 1977 (despite being a blatant ripoff of 17th century China’s abacus ring).
As Moore’s Law did its thing, form factors evolved, chips got smaller, and the wearables market became more accessible and more affordable. Owning a device moved from being a conspicuous tech-flex to a sensible choice for a better-lived life.
Wearables are fast becoming as ubiquitous as a set of keys.
Where We Are Now
We all know science fiction, dogs, and the healthcare industry have lots in common, right?
Ok, maybe not a massive amount,
but together they’ve been the driving force behind some of the most influential microtechnology innovations of the past decade. Chips to track livestock as well as family pets (like dogs!) and monitor vitals have paved the way for a future of consumer microchip implants, body-connected tools, and microwearables in salons, gyms, and on the road.
Image Source: Minority Report
From work to health to entertainment & sport, wearable technology has emerged as one of the most ubiquitous applications of the Internet of Things.
Devices have transformed from large, cumbersome, and specialized to small adaptable devices that talk to other devices and perform multiple tasks.
You could be wearing one right now and nobody would know! It could be your ticket to a private party sent to you by your favourite brand, or it could be tracking your heart rate in the cloud.
The applications of the new micro wearables are vast and will shape our lives in the most impactful ways. But guess what? We don’t want to be treated like dogs or livestock and some find it kinda creepy to be that fused with tech. So how do we take learnings from the past to shape the present and design a future where we call the shots, not the microchips?
Image Source: ASUU Tech
We have seen the move from surface to skin with products like the Tommy Hilfiger solar paneled jackets that debuted in 2014 to the prototype LUMIwatch which launched in 2018; a “first-of-its-kind” smartwatch that can turn your arm into a touchscreen.
What has been really interesting is that many of these new consumer use cases have been either in beta or in full market mode in healthcare or industry sectors, helping us get healthy, move our goods around the world,
or keep us safe as we travel from land to sea. This is a consistent theme that you can use as a first look tool into what could be on the consumer front by tracking what the military is investing in, what patents have been submitted, and what’s on the agenda at cyber security conferences.
Now, with our relationship to technology shifting to a more closely integrated dynamic, we want our wearables to disappear into the background.
Microwearables bring us closer to tech without cumbersome or impractical gadgets. From new metabolic semi- permanent implants to microchips on jewelry and fashionable nail styles, the possibilities are open to health, fashion, or basic life needs—like getting into your apartment, or knowing where your kids are.
Image Source: Tommy Hilfiger goes solar powered, DAZED
Where We're Going
Devices that attach directly to your skin, and are currently tracking things like glucose levels, heart rate, breathing patterns, and other important health information to guide care.
As with many technologies, products such as compression devices or LED facial masks started out in hospitals and clinics; eventually making their way into Equinox Gym or Sephora Beauty. The healthcare industry understands and invests in R&D, which is now moving into the consumer hands at a much quicker pace than ever before.
Image Source: Medical alerts from a sticker on your hand, ROLEX
Chips are now small enough that they can be worn in a number of inconspicuous ways and powerful enough to collect and transmit all kinds of data.
Microwearables can be a bold way
to enhance existing consumer experiences, create new ones, or improve and evolve existing products. A major wearable scaling rapidly are those defined as "skin electronics".
Image Source: Leidos
“The global electronic skin market size was valued at USD 4.5 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.5% from 2020 to 2027.
As the artificial skin mimics human sensing capabilities, it has wide applications in health monitoring technologies.”
Grand View Research, Electronic Skin Market Size, Market Report.
When the Big Players Come In
Where We're Going
With heavyweights like Apple launching the Apple Air Tag, a tracking device designed to act as a personal object finder, and new entrants like the Oura ring being used by the NBA to track the health of their players during lockdown, the stage is set for more consumer comfort, big players laying the path for the privacy pilgrimage, and economies of scale kicking in.
Building Blocks of the Experience
Post-Covid
Consumer Behaviour
Supporting the continued growth of this trend is the “new normal” we’re exploring, post-covid. While one in five Americans use a smartwatch or fitness tracker and screen time is at an all-time high, we are also experiencing screen fatigue paired with a more empowered privacy-first consumer mindset that’s shaping the future of data sharing, storing, and searching.
The New Consumer Privacy Paradigm
As this trend has evolved, we have moved into the era of the new consumer privacy paradigm. Consumer data is now in the hands of the consumer, not the company, and data integrity is not a nice-to-have, it’s essential.
To lean into this trend in any significant way will require transparent, co-curative approaches that prioritize consumer safety and security. A good data protection partner will be paramount!
“65% would actively discourage family and friends from buying from a brand which had irresponsibly handled their data.
DotDigital; Rise of the Responsible Marketer
Take these cues as jumping off points for how microwearables could elevate brand value and experience.
Consumers continue to seek novelty, convenience, and ways to simplify their everyday lives. We are enamoured by new technologies but want sovereignty in how our data is fed into the machine. The fear of a PR scandal or a hack shouldn’t prevent brands from exploring how this trend can shape and drive value for their consumers; instead, we should design experiences that offer transparency as a selling point.
Microwearables are all about empowerment and fluidity—reducing friction in everyday encounters with technology and commerce. Think about where and when people interface with tech using physical objects or tools, and how those interactions could be made more (super)natural!
Experience should drive tech, and tech should drive experience. Imagine, partner, create.
We are all trying to solve problems for customers, create wonder for audiences, and look into the unknown future for unique ways to connect. When bringing our clients ideas to life, we imagine what wearable partner could push those boundaries with us or find wearables in market with robust API’s and amazing use cases we can tap into. The flow goes back and forth between Creative Technologists-Product Leads-and Experience Designers.
In Situ
Here are four recent examples that show you the range and diversity of applications.
Example #1
Three Square Market pushes the boundaries with implants
In 2019, Three Square Market, A US-based tech and logistics company, microchipped its employees to give them more convenient access to workplace amenities. Volunteers who had a small chip implanted in their hands were able to enter the office and even make purchases in their break room without physical interactions.
Example #2
Veri offers biometric tracking that’s more than skin deep
Glucose meters have hit the mainstream as a fitness tool, with Veri. The company is bringing skin-applied meters that can tell you how your food is being metabolized to create better eating habits. The company promises to help users “connect the dots to gain more energy, train harder, and get healthier.” Tools like this that help people better understand their bodies and health are going to be a major driver of this trend.
Example #3
Lanour Beauty Lounge puts data at your fingertips
Lanour Beauty Lounge, a nail salon in Dubai, is offering a tiny microchip for customers' fingernails. The chips use near-field communication technology to connect with mobile devices—acting as a digital business card. There’s potential for the nail microchip to have other uses in the future, from digital restaurant menus beamed to your phone from your waiter’s hand to keyless entry and contactless payments.
Example #4
Mojo, AR contacts
on the horizon for utilitarian purposes
Meet Mojo Lens, a smart contact lens with a built-in display that gives you timely information without interrupting your focus. By understanding your real-world context, Mojo Lens provides relevant, eyes-up notifications and answers. Designed by optometrists, technologists, and medical experts, Mojo Lens gives you the knowledge you need—exactly when it’s needed.
Just Imagine...
1
Reimagine the shopping experience, by creating exclusive touchless journeys and VIP access activated by a keychain or temporary tattoo.
3
Attach people's fitness goals to their bodies, using haptic feedback as a motivator and communication tool.
2
Cities offer wearable jewelry or patches that when activated send a distress signal to the police with the exact location of the person.
Tapping into the
Magic of Invisible Tech
As our bodies and lives become better integrated with technology, we’re moving past science fiction and into the realm of magic. An invisible stream of data will connect all things, and we’ll be able to touch it or harness it with a gesture. What can you do right now?
Think about how microwearables can be used to create more magic moments for people. Fight the friction that exists with current tech products. Push the boundaries toward a more natural, seamless future. And invest the time and resources to make it safe.
Next Steps for Brands
Develop relationships now.
Find the right product fit
Find the right platform that makes sense for your brand. From the novelty wearables at concerts to the second skin leaders like Tile or Oura Ring, look at the holistic journey of your offering in context to the needs of your consumers and let that drive who to reach out to.
Have a data privacy POV.
Don't respond, lead.
The new privacy paradigm is the new normal. But as we know, government tends to lag behind the speed of technology innovation. Knowing that legislative policy will catch up, and that consumers are now educated on data sovereignty; work with your data leads, AI, UX, and planning teams to align on how you don’t just respond to, but lead the data privacy area of focus.
Image Source: The Next Web.
Start to Play.
Keep it cost effective and low risk.
Taking a page out of the book or test, iterate, and learn; find cheaper wearable technology that has an open API and start to test. Partner with tech leaders like If This Then That to help understand how to connect the things to the things in a way that creates fun, low barriers, and new ways to bring brand value and love to customers where they can be in the driver’s seat.
Image Source: MIT.
Now let’s design worlds together that entertain, inspire, and create connections only once dreamed of in the movies.
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