Ambiguity as a design resource in self-tracking wearables: A literature review

Wearable technologies, like smartwatches and fitness trackers, are primarily designed to monitor health metrics and daily activities, providing data-driven insights for self-improvement. Yet, they frequently rely on prescriptive and normative notions of health and wellbeing, often disregarding the diversity of bodies, abilities, and personal experiences. Recent advancements in design and human-computer interaction (HCI) research point to ‘ambiguity’ as a valuable resource for wearable technology design, which may foster a broad spectrum of individuals’ interpretations and appropriations of data and systems. However, a comprehensive synthesis of this approach is still lacking. Through a review of 18 empirical studies, we describe how ambiguity is conceptualized and implemented in wearable designs, identify engagement benefits and challenges, and highlight areas for further exploration in the field of health and wellbeing.