Toward Accessible Health and Fitness Tracking for People with Mobility Impairments

Electronic health and fitness trackers have received substantial attention over the past decade, from new mobile and wearable technologies to evaluations of potential health impacts. These trackers, however, may not be accessible to people with mobility impairments, for whom activities such as running, walking, or climbing stairs can be difficult or impossible. To investigate the accessibility of wearable tracking devices and mobile apps, we conducted a study with 14 participants with a range of mobility impairments. The study included an in-person interview, evaluation of two off-the-shelf wearable devices, and a participatory design activity, followed by an optional week-long field evaluation of a mobile fitness app (to which 8 participants opted in). Our findings highlight widespread accessibility challenges with existing tracking technologies and provide implications for designing more inclusive solutions.