Designing Wearables for Connected Health

Posted by Carrie Yury on Jun 17, 2015 9:54:00 AM

At the 2015 Wearable World Congress, BeyondCurious interviewed companies on the cutting edge of wearables in order to understand how they get user feedback as they develop wearable products. In this video, Andy Flanagan, CEO of Telcare, discusses how his company involves the voice of the customer in developing a connected platform for people with diabetes. His user base is diverse, ranging from kids aged 5 to the elderly. Flanagan shares lessons learned in designing a better product by involving customers in design. One of his key takeaways is to avoid over-engineering the product. "Sexy and cool" may not work for creating a device that an elderly person uses to manage his or her health. 

View our video for more insight from Andy Flanagan.

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How Apple Watch Will Make Utility Cool

Posted by David Deal on Apr 22, 2015 5:35:13 PM

On its best days, Apple shapes consumer behavior. And we are seeing Apple on its best day with the launch of Apple Watch. One of the world's most valuable brands seeks to turn everyday consumer behavior (such as paying for coffee or reading the news) into a more graceful, fluid action by encouraging watch owners to swipe our wrists or merely glance at a fashionable device we wear. In essence, Apple wants to make utility cool. Thanks to the onslaught of branded apps being developed for the device, Apple will likely turn its vision into reality. Following is a glimpse of significant third-party apps that will influence how we manage our lives in five key ways.

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Creative Misuse: How My Activity Tracker Is Helping Me Recover from a Brain Injury

Posted by Carrie Yury on Apr 16, 2015 1:08:00 PM

Last year I sustained a moderate concussion as a result of a car accident. The word “moderate” in this case is misleading; a minor concussion heals in 6-8 weeks, but it can take 6-8 months for a moderate concussion to resolve. In the meantime, the concussed individual suffers a host of immoderate inconveniences, including everything from headaches and photophobia to memory loss and depression. 

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What Apple Watch Means to Brands

Posted by David Deal on Apr 9, 2015 8:46:00 AM

Apple Watch is coming, and it's going to have a big impact on brands.  

The Apple Watch, available on April 24, 2015, has been praised, vilified, and dissected by a wide-ranging audience, including everyday consumers, technology geeks, Apple fans, and fashionistas. The new product has also injected some strong style mojo into the Apple brand. But should businesses care about the Watch? Absolutely. Apple Watch will have far-reaching impacts on several industries, from healthcare to automotive and retail. The Watch, which blurs the line between mobile and wearables, will pressure brands across the board to make mobile experiences more personal and less intrusive. 

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The Quantified Self: How Technology is Transforming Health

Posted by Nikki Barua on Feb 2, 2015 4:14:00 PM

Recent advancements in technology and the increasingly vast array of digital devices available has led to a huge transformation in both the fitness industry and healthcare. The availability of devices that can track everything from heart rate to fertility-levels means that consumers are now able to proactively monitor and improve their own health through these innovative technologies. 

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Technology & Fashion: A Love Affair

Posted by Gabrielle Woodson on Sep 16, 2014 4:03:00 PM

As New York Fashion Weeks closes its doors, the impact of technology in fashion is opening entirely new ones. The fashion industry is known for pushing boundaries in both aesthetics and design. It pulls inspiration from unconventional sources that are oftentimes off-kilter, explorative, and even futuristic. And depending on whom you ask, technology can be described using similar words. The relationship between fashion and technology isn’t new, but it's certainly evolving and there are many lessons to be learned by big and small brands alike. World famous designers are showcasing their collections through cinematic masterpieces while tech companies are hiring high-profile designers to spearhead product design.  

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5 In-Store Technologies Your Competitors are Already Using

Posted by Sebastian Fite on Jul 27, 2014 12:09:00 PM

New technologies are helping retailers increase customer engagement, support staff performance, and bring data richness to in-store customer analytics. For example: have you ever wondered what areas of your store get the most foot traffic? Do you wish you could push relevant promotions and recommendations to customers based on their purchase history while in your store? Or have you ever wanted to beam instructions to a sales associate suddenly faced with an unhappy VIP client? 

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Betting on Teens For Wearable Tech

Posted by BeyondCurious on Jun 30, 2014 8:58:00 PM

Disney, Mattel, Xbox, and PlayStation take note; wearables for teens are here, and they are about to disrupt your business.

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Your Heartbeat May Soon Be Your Only Password

Posted by Carrie Yury on Jun 23, 2014 9:38:00 PM

Data security is a heavy burden for business. That is particularly true in today's increasingly mobile, distributed workforce. And as the recent Heartbleed debacle pointed out, password technology is deeply fallible. However, new wearable technologies are being developed that will help companies simultaneously keep their data safe and allow their employees anytime anywhere access to key systems and information. 

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The Dawning of the Wearable Tech Era

Posted by Carrie Yury on May 10, 2014 3:35:00 PM

Redg Snodgrass and Kyle Ellicott on the emerging business of wearable tech 

The second annual Glazed conference is set to take place June 3-4 in San Francisco at the Regency Center. I spoke to Wearble World and Glazed Conference founders Redg Snodgrass and Kyle Ellicott about the burgeoning wearable economy, and their thoughts on what it will take for the wearable era to truly come into its own. 

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