Quantified Factory Worker: Expert Evaluation and Ethical Considerations of Wearable Self-tracking Devices

Following the Quantified Self trend, everyday self-tracking practices have become common. Still, self-monitoring of people at work is a rather new research topic. Self-tracking of employees’ activities, mental state and emotions enables data-based feedback, which could improve the employees’ awareness of issues influencing their well-being and performance. We contribute to this topic from two perspectives. First, we explored the potential of wearable self-tracking devices for providing personal feedback to machine operators working in a factory. We used the expert evaluation method to lay ground to the user perspective of self-tracking at work. User experience experts evaluated five tracking devices for their user experience, perceived accuracy and fit to factory workers. Second, we conducted a workshop with the experts to systematically assess the ethical considerations that may arise when adopting self-tracking at work. The results provide insights into the potential of the use of self-tracking devices in a factory context.