An Accessibility Study of Apple Watch for People with a Broken Index Finger

Abstract

Worldwide demand for smartwatch devices has grown in recent times, but there are relatively few studies of their accessibility. The focal point of this study, will be the accessibility of watches and their workability for users suffering from index finger injuries that require immobilisation of the finger. The touch target aspect of a watch can potentially cause problems in these instances, because index fingers are often used to navigate them. We systematically investigated smartwatch usability issues that arise when the index finger can no longer be used for easy interaction. We focused on the AppleWatch Series 3 and up, which is widely used. The results show that the users encountered different accessibility barriers at AppleWatch, including pressing the physical buttons and the interactions that require more than a finger to perform. These issues could be fixed by providing alternatives to multi-touch gestures if necessary, making the buttons easier to press, and allowing more space for interaction.