Wearable cue design: A comparative research of different modalities of smartwatches microtasks

Abstract

Despite the widespread adoption of smartwatches, rigorous experimental verification of how their multimodal interaction (visual + haptic) impacts performance and cognitive load in dyadic collaboration remains limited. Adopting a 3 (Modality) × 2 (Task Type) within-subjects design (N=14), we constructed a dual-task framework based on an intragroup dependency mechanism. This framework comprised two individual micro-tasks and one collaborative micro-task, requiring participants to synchronously respond to target stimuli for performance assessment, while secondary Probe Tasks were employed to evaluate cognitive load. Additionally, Performance Decrement Rate (PDR) was used to measure collaborative adaptability. Results indicate that multimodal cues significantly reduce distraction costs by offloading visual demands. While efficiency benefits are context-dependent and moderated by individual baseline capability—specifically benefiting lower-capability users via a compensation effect—multimodal interaction significantly enhances collaborative stability by suppressing performance fluctuations during high-load switching. These findings validate the Cognitive Resource Release Hypothesis and highlight the necessity for adaptive interaction designs in collaborative wearables.

Keywords: Smartwatch, Multimodal Interaction, Collaborative Micro-task, Cognitive Load, Stability

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007518