Title: Technology assessment: case of the wearable computing for fitness

Authors: Tugrul U. Daim; Nameer Al-Mulla; Sowmini B. Sengupta; Kshiti Shah; Bayar Demchig

Addresses: Portland State University, Portland OR 97207, USA ' Portland State University, Portland OR 97207, USA ' Intel Corporation, Hillsboro, OR 97124, USA ' Nike Corporation, Hillsboro, OR 97124, USA ' Portland State University, Portland OR 97207, USA

Abstract: Technology in healthcare is advancing at a tremendous pace as we continue to innovate with new materials, sensor technologies and engineering methods. Easy access to personalised healthcare information has also made the general public take more control of managing their own health and demanding to do more of it. Fitness tracking devices are now enabling more of this as they become easy to use and affordable. As the costs for these fitness tracking devices are going down, the market is getting crowded as more manufacturers enter. It is also getting complicated as each device presents various features and at various price points. So, how does a user decide which device in the market is the best choice for him/her? This paper examines the decision-making process, leveraging the hierarchical decision model, defines and organises the decision-making criterion that is used in the selection a fitness tracking device. The final result presents the user with a simple and effective way to select the ideal device for his use.

Keywords: technology assessment; decision analysis; hierarchical decision models; wearable computing; fitness tracking; personalised healthcare information; decision making process; technology selection; wearables.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMEI.2015.072319

International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics, 2015 Vol.7 No.4, pp.321 - 364

Received: 21 Feb 2014
Accepted: 10 Sep 2014
Published online: 09 Oct 2015 *

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