Stawarz, KatarzynaEveritt, AlunaBowen, Judy2026-11-062026-11-062025Stawarz, K., Everitt, A., & Bowen, J. (2025). Exploring opportunities for flexible wearables to support physical training. In DIS '25: Proceedings of the 2025 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (pp. 2156-2170). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3715336.3735703979-8-4007-1485-6https://hdl.handle.net/10289/18744Advances in digital fabrication with flexible and conductive materials are enabling new opportunities for customisable wearables that enhance physical training across various sports through on-body posture and movement monitoring. However, before developing new wearable devices, it is crucial to understand the unique challenges and opportunities of real-world use and the diverse needs of stakeholders such as athletes, trainers, and sports enthusiasts. In this paper, we report results of two co-design workshops conducted with 11 participants representing a range of sports backgrounds and interests to identify challenges and opportunities for flexible wearables. The participants’ designs and prototypes highlight the importance of supporting personalised wearable design, addressing varying contexts, and accommodating different skill levels. We propose design considerations for wearable devices that prioritise flexibility, both in their materiality to support a wide range of movement and in their adaptability to accommodate changing conditions and user progression across skill levels.en© 2025 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). Publication rights licensed to ACM. This is the author's accepted version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution.applied computingco-designcomputer scienceHCI theory, concepts and modelshuman-centered computingpersonalisationsoftware engineeringsportubiquitous and mobile computingwearablesConference Contribution10.1145/3715336.373570346 Information and Computing Sciences4608 Human-Centred Computing42 Health Sciences4207 Sports Science and Exercise