50% of Users Won't Wear their Tech

Tech wearables, mainly those for health and fitness, fail to keep the interest of users for more than a few months. A survey of 6,223 US adults revealed that one in ten consumers aged 18 and over owns a modern activity tracker such as Jawbone, Fitbit, Nike+ Fuelband or Misfit Wearables. Yet, more than half of the survey’s respondents said that they no longer use their activity tracker, and a third of those stopped using the device within six months of receiving it.

The wearables that are very successful are the ones that are designed to solve a very specific problem for someone that a smartphone isn’t doing.

If nobody wants to wear it, is it really wearable? You can have the greatest product in the world but if it doesn’t have the right design aesthetic, no one will continue to wear it.

Wearables companies are dealing with challenges, they have to take care of the need for products to fit well, be comfortable, and compatible with consumer's lifestyle.

Behavioral psychology also plays a strong role in long-term adoption of wearables by the consumer.

A surprising percentage of devices in the market first fail to achieve even short term engagement for many users because they suffer from one or more fatal user experience flaws.

These flaws are:

• They are easy to lose
• They break
• They’re not waterproof
• They’re a pain to sync with your smartphone
• The battery doesn’t last long enough
• They’re ugly
• They’re uncomfortable to wear
• They provide no material benefit

Currently most wearables are worn on your wrist.  This video digs deeper to find out why companies aren't producing products to be worn elsewhere.