Training Technology Probes Across Fitness Practices: Yoga, Circus and Weightlifting

Wearable technology for sports and fitness have increased in popularity in the last decade, but most technological solutions in research are designed for a single specific fitness practice and target group. Towards validating a design approach and resulting wearable designs across several fitness practices, we used three wearable Training Technology Probes (TTPs) originally designed for, and tested in, the context of Yoga and Circus training. They were used in a design activity with the goal of exploring and opening up the design space of technology for weightlifting. Our exploration proved fruitful and substantiated the versatility, adaptability and usefulness of the TTPs on account of their design features. Here we present initial insights from deploying the TTPs in that domain. The TTPs served as probing tools, helping to surface goals and challenges of weightlifting. They were appropriated to fit and assist in new TTP uses for weightlifting exercises, leading to interesting design iterations that will inform future work.