“I Like My Own Watch Independence”: Exploring Low-Burden Customisation of a Technology Probe by Children with ADHD and their Parents

Customisation can make health tracking on smartwatches more meaningful and engaging, yet children are rarely given the opportunity to shape the design of these wearables. To address this, as part of a technology probe, we developed a low-burden online customisation process for children with ADHD and their parents. This enabled 10 children (aged 8-11) with ADHD and a parent to rapidly customise a smartwatch application and smartphone SMS system to track their personal health data. The process had three main benefits: 1) it enabled real-time customisation of self-tracking technology probes which could be deployed with minimal development time; 2) it deepened our understanding of participants' self-tracking needs and preferences, including the importance of accessibility for children with ADHD; and 3) it enhanced children’s short- and long-term engagement with the technology probe. We discuss these benefits, alongside the challenges encountered, and discuss how this approach can be applied in future studies.