A User-Centred Design Approach to Ubiquitous Computing and Framing Communication in Football

The purpose of this interdisciplinary design research study is to explore the nature of communication during a football game, to identify the needs of athletes and coaches based on their specific contexts, and to uncover opportunities relating to ubiquitous computing for improving their performance. The research is approached through mixed design research methods including a survey, field observations and interviews. The data is analyzed using a graphical approach to representing the findings. The key insights from this research include validating a user need by identifying the problem space of communication errors during a game, a user want by acknowledging motivation and acceptance of emerging technology, and investigating the opportunity for wearable technology to enhance performance in football.