Human-Centered Design for Wearable Healthcare Monitoring
A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Wearables".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 38
Special Issue Editor
Interests: biosensors; health monitoring; blood; wearable
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The rapid proliferation of wearable technology offers an unprecedented opportunity to shift healthcare toward more responsive, personalized models. However, the promise of these technologies is often hindered by a fundamental oversight: true wearability. While the industry has mastered intermittent monitoring, the next frontier lies in long-term, continuous integration into the daily lives of users. Groups, such as aging and pediatric populations, frequently experience high rates of abandonment, signaling a critical need to evolve beyond current hardware design approaches. This Special Issue seeks to pivot the academic conversation. We aim to move beyond the technical specifications of advanced sensors to explore the human-centered design (HCD) of systems that prioritize long-term adoption, comfort and clinical utility. We invite researchers to contribute interdisciplinary work that address how we can design wearables that people want to wear, rather than just have to wear. Our goal is to foster critical dialog that bridges the gap between engineering-led development and human-led experience. By emphasizing HCD principles, this Special Issue will highlight how empathy-driven design can lead to more effective and clinically relevant healthcare outcomes. We welcome original research, case reports and theoretical papers at the intersection of the following:
- Human Factors and Ergonomics: Overcoming the physical and cognitive barriers to long-term device adherence.
- Special Population Needs: Tailoring design for the unique physiological and perceptual requirements of pediatric and geriatric users.
- Critical Data Studies: Investigating how users perceive and interact with the data these devices generate.
- Communication Studies: The role of feedback loops and interface design in patient engagement.
- Systemic Adoption: Case studies on successful (or failed) integration of wearables into clinical workflows.
Prof. Dr. Colin Drummond
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- wearables
- human-centered design
- comfort assessment
- patient acceptance
- compliance
- wearability
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
