Usability and Design of Personal Wearable and Portable Devices for Thermal Comfort in Shared Work Environments

Personal comfort is important in the design of objects and environments. However, as comfort is a subjective experience, it is a very difficult aspect to design for. This paper presents an interrogation into the design for human thermal comfort, in particular the design of personal devices for use in shared work environments. The findings of two user studies are presented, in which wearable and portable, off-the-shelf personal heating and cooling devices were deployed in the field to explore the interaction with and use of these devices in everyday settings with the aim to uncover key aspects and requirements for the design of such devices. We found that functionality and affordances, i.e. the design for versatility, appropriation and mobility, as well as control, availability, effectiveness and efficiency of use were most important. Furthermore, individual preferences, foremost the preference for on-body versus off-body heating and cooling, and aspects related to wearable design of the devices, such as aesthetics, materiality, comfort of wear, mobility and unobtrusiveness, also need to be taken into account.

Content

Author and article information

Contributors

Katja Knecht

Nick Bryan-Kinns

Karen Shoop

Conference

Publication date: July 2016

Publication date (Print): July 2016

Pages: 1-12

Affiliations

[0001]Queen Mary University of London

Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/HCI2016.41

SO-VID: 32bee490-1944-46f7-9bbc-91cfad0eac29

Copyright statement: © Knecht et al. Published by BCS Learning and Development Ltd. Proceedings of British HCI 2016 Conference Fusion, Bournemouth, UK

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Proceedings of the 30th International BCS Human Computer Interaction Conference

Conference acronym: HCI

Conference number: 30

Conference location: Bournemouth University, Poole, UK

Conference date: 11 - 15 July 2016

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Fusion

Product

Product Information: 1477-9358BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/HCI2016.41

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

REFERENCES

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ArensZhangHuizenga 2006b Partial- and whole-body thermal sensation and comfort - Part II: Non-uniform environmental conditions Journal of Thermal Biology 31 1-2 60 66
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Clarke Braun 2006 Using thematic analysis in psychology Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 2 77 101
ChanEstèveFourniolsEscribaCampo 2012 Smart wearable systems: current status and future challenges Artificial intelligence in medicine 56 3 137 156
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Newman Yang 2013 Learning from a Learning Thermostat: Lessons for Intelligent Systems for the Home Proceedings of the 2013 ACM international joint conference on Pervasive and ubiquitous computing (UbiComp 2013). New York, NY, USA ACM 93 102
Sheikhzadeh Yazdi 2014 Personal cooling garments: a review The Journal of The Textile Institute 105 12 1231 1250
ZhangKimArensBuchbergerBaumanHuizenga 2008 Comfort, Perceived Air Quality, and Work Performance in a Low-Power TaskAmbient Conditioning System. Summary Report. Berkeley, CA Center for the Built Environment (CBE), University of California

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] ArensZhangHuizenga 2006a Partial- and whole-body thermal sensation and comfort - Part I: Uniform environmental conditions Journal of Thermal Biology 31 1-2 53 59

[2] ArensZhangHuizenga 2006b Partial- and whole-body thermal sensation and comfort - Part II: Non-uniform environmental conditions Journal of Thermal Biology 31 1-2 60 66

[3] ASHRAE 2013 Thermal Comfort 2013 ASHRAE Handbook: Fundamentals. Atlanta, GA, USA American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

[4] D. Benyon 2014 Designing Interactive Systems: A comprehensive guide to HCI, UX and interaction design. 3rd Edition. Harlow, England Pearson Education Ltd

[5] Beurer GmbH 2015 HK54. Beurer GmbH Available from http://www.beurer.com/web/en/products/flexible_heating/special_heating_pads/HK-54 10 November 2015)

[6] blazewear 2014 Heated Socks. blazewear UK. Available from https://www.blazewear.com/heated-socks-and-insoles/heated-socks.html 10 November 2015)

[7] Brager, de Dear 1998 Thermal adaptation in the built environment: a literature review Energy and Buildings 27 83 96

[8] Clarke Braun 2006 Using thematic analysis in psychology Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 2 77 101

[9] ChanEstèveFourniolsEscribaCampo 2012 Smart wearable systems: current status and future challenges Artificial intelligence in medicine 56 3 137 156

[10] Cool on the Go 2015 Cool on the Go Clip Fan. Amazon.com Available from http://www.amazon.com/Cool-On-The-Versatile-Hands-Free/dp/B007OWTTAO 27 May 2015)

[11] De'Longhi UK 2015 DCH3030. De’Longhi UK Available from http://www.delonghi.com/en-gb/products/comfort/portable-heating/fan-heaters/dch30301 10 November 2015)

[12] R. de Dear 2004 Thermal comfort in practice Indoor air 14 7 32 39

[13] Brager de Dear 1998 Developing an adaptive model of thermal comfort and preference ASHRAE Transactions 104 1 145 167

[14] de DearAkimotoArensBragerCandidoCheongLiNishiharaSekharTanabeToftumZhangZhu 2013 Progress in thermal comfort research over the last twenty years Indoor air, 23 6 442 461

[15] P. Dourish 2001 Where the Action is: The Foundations of Embodied Interaction Cambridge, MA, USA MIT Press

[16] E-Bargain UK 2015 Large Hot Water Bottle With Knitted Cream Arran Style Jumper Cover Amazon.co.uk Available from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Large-Water-Bottle-Knitted-Jumper/dp/B0064NKPBQ?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 10 November 2015)

[17] embr labs 2015 Wristify. embr labs. Available from http://www.embrlabs.com/ 10 November 2015)

[18] HeideggerStambaughSchmidt 2010 Being and Time Albany, NY State University of New York Press

[19] Grahn Heller 2012 Enhancing Thermal Exchange in Humans and Practical Applications Disruptive Science and Technology 1 1 11 19

[20] R.T. Hellwig 2009 Komfortforschung und Nutzerakzeptanz Nachhaltig Bauen und Bewerten: Vom Energie- zum Nachhaltigkeitsausweis. Vienna, Austria Österreichisches Institut für Baubiologie und - ö kologie GmbH -IBO- 59 69

[21] M.A. Humphreys 1995 Thermal comfort temperatures and the habits of Hobbits Nicol HumphreysSykesRoaf Standards for Thermal Comfort - Indoor Air Temperature Standards for the 21st Century London, England Chapman & Hall 3 13

[22] IFMA 2009 Temperature Wars: Savings vs. Comfort. Available from http://www.ifma.org/docs/default-source/surveys/hvacsurvey2009.pdf?sfvrsn=2 17 March 2016)

[23] van Marken Lichtenbelt Kingma 2015 Energy consumption in buildings and female thermal demand Nature Climate Change 5 12 1054 1056

[24] Bordass Leaman 2005a Productivity in buildings: the “killer” variables - part 1 EcoLibrium (April). 16 20

[25] Bordass Leaman 2005b Productivity in buildings: the “killer” variables - part 2 EcoLibrium (May) 22 29

[26] LiuYaoMcCloy 2014 An investigation of thermal comfort adaptation behaviour in office buildings in the UK Indoor and Built Environment 23 5

[27] S. Mann 1998 Wearable computing as a means for personal empowerment Keynote Address for The First International Conference on Wearable Computing, ICWC-98. Fairfax, VA 12 13 May 1998

[28] C. McCarty 2005 NASA: Advancing UltraPerformance M. McQuaid ed) Extreme Textiles: Designing for High Performance. London Thames & Hudson Ltd 138 161

[29] Mobile Fun Limited 2015 USB Heating Gloves -Grey. Mobile Fun Ltd Available from http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/usb-heating-gloves-grey-p11984.htm 10 November 2015)

[30] D.A. Norman 1999 Affordance, conventions, and design Interactions 6 3 38 43

[31] K. Parsons 2003 Human Thermal Environments: The effects of hot, moderate, and cold environments on human health, comfort and performance 2nd Edition London, England Taylor & Francis

[32] Schiavon Peretti 2011 Indoor environmental quality surveys. A brief literature review Indoor Air 2011. Dallas, Texas June 5 10

[33] Polar Products 2015 CoolFit Kit - Kool Max -Polar Products. Polar Products Available from http://www.polarproducts.com/polarshop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=262&idcategory=430 12 November 2015)

[34] RogersSharpPreece 2011 Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction. 3rd Edition) Chichester, England John Wiley & Sons

[35] E. Shove 2003 Comfort, Cleanliness and Convenience Oxford, England Berg

[36] Vinkde LoozeKuijt-Evers 2005 Theory of Comfort P. Vink ed) Comfort and Design: Principles and Good Practice Boca Raton, Florida, USA CRC Press 13 32

[37] VinkOverbeekeDesmet 2005 Comfort Experience P. Vink ed) Comfort and Design: Principles and Good Practice. Boca Raton, Florida, USA CRC Press 1 12

[38] S. Walker 2013 Wearable Technology – Market Assessment. IHS Whitepaper. IHS Electronics & Media

[39] WangGaoKuklaneHolmér 2010 A review of technology of personal heating garments International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics 16 3 387 404

[40] J. Wei 2014 How Wearables Intersect with the Cloud and the Internet of Things IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine 3 3 53 56

[41] Newman Yang 2013 Learning from a Learning Thermostat: Lessons for Intelligent Systems for the Home Proceedings of the 2013 ACM international joint conference on Pervasive and ubiquitous computing (UbiComp 2013). New York, NY, USA ACM 93 102

[42] Sheikhzadeh Yazdi 2014 Personal cooling garments: a review The Journal of The Textile Institute 105 12 1231 1250

[43] ZhangKimArensBuchbergerBaumanHuizenga 2008 Comfort, Perceived Air Quality, and Work Performance in a Low-Power TaskAmbient Conditioning System. Summary Report. Berkeley, CA Center for the Built Environment (CBE), University of California