Watches in the Wild

Part 01: Interviews

Interview 01: 

subject: Mid 20's biotech software engineer, leads active life, enjoys camping

When asked about not having his phone readily available, he mainly focused on the issues of battery limitation and lack of signal because he tends to go out on long outdoorsy trips, and it’s not really an issue of whether or not it’s in his left pocket, but rather if it’s functional. He mainly uses his phone to keep track of his schedule, texts, and phone calls; he didn’t seem too into using it for social media checkups and other things. His main obstacle regarding the retrieval of his phone is in social gatherings, such as meetings, dinner, and dates, where he would rather not use his phone in front of others, as it is interpreted as a rude gesture. When asked about wearables, he was highly knowledgeable in biotech-related wearables such as heart monitors and health related products being worked on by Google. He seemed really interested in the idea of wearables, and said that it would make the access of notifications a lot easier in settings where using your phone would be deemed inappropriate. He specifically emphasized that he saw the watch as a platform for notifications and updates, not as something he would take a call on, or do any text entry, as he said there was a difference between using your phone versus a watch; anything information intensive would have to be handled on his phone, which 9/10 would be in his left pocket. He also added it would be great to have a map, or an altimeter on the watch, adding to his background of outdoor activity. He summed up his use of a wearable as a platform on which he can check incoming texts, missed calls, and schedule reminders at a glance, as people who live active lifestyles tend to move fast and don’t have time to pick up their phones every time to check. On a parting note, I asked him about the watch he wore backwards on his wrist (the watch face was on the side with his palm), which he explained was a matter of comfort, as chunkier metal watches dig into his wrist when he bikes around. 

Interview 02:

subject: Recent graduate who works as a designer in Mountain View

When asked about not having his phone readily available, he said most of the time his phone will be charging on a nightstand, and it won’t reach his bed, so it will awkwardly hang off the table left unchecked. He describes his phone activity as “everything, and more” since he admits that he checks every notification ever sent to his phone, and customizes the notification settings based on the type of activity it’s associated with (text vs missed call). He uses his phone for social media, texts, calls, reminders, and says he checks his phones for notifications. It is regularly kept in his pockets, and his regular activities involve texting people back. Given the choice of using a wrist watch, he was really excited at the idea of having notifications readily available in all situations, whether in bed, at work, or commuting. He really liked the idea of being able to tell his notification activity at a quick glance, and continued to say that people can just really sleep in these watches. The participant also sided with the previous interview, in that he wants the watch mainly for notifications, although a handy stalker camera could be useful in some situations. He also emphasized that it is more socially acceptable to quickly check your wrist watch for notifications rather than pulling out your phone, which could be seen as rude depending on the situation. Also emphasized was the ability to customize your notifications, so he could know if he even had to look down based on the priority level. A snooze option and meeting setting was thought to be helpful. He particularly enjoyed the idea of analog watches, as they look classy and blend in, and would only like an application interface when absolutely necessary.

Commonalities:

Both participants really enjoyed the idea of having notifications at a glance, and treated the idea of a wearable as a smaller extension of a phone which could be used for smaller tasks such as a notification manager, an altimeter, or a meeting reminder. However, both also disliked the idea of using it to browse social applications, and using it to respond to texts and calls, as they both keep their phone readily available most of the time. In situations where they don’t have their phones, it’s mostly because the battery is dead or they are charging it.

Brainstorming

Both people mostly wanted to use it for notifications, and to not have the battery die on them

- not a social media platform

- didn’t want to take calls on it

idea01:

Notifications manager, something both wanted, but doesn’t truly grasp the functionality that can become of a smart watch. Would show you incoming texts, missed calls, or calls that are currently coming in. Also notifications for your email.

idea02:

Maps application, for the moments you get lost in a dark alleyway or in the countryside. First interview wanted it for hiking excursions.

idea03:

Altimeter tracker, also for those who tend to be outdoorsy individuals. Similar to a small device you’d pull out of your pocket to check the altitude of a mountain you’re climbing.

idea04:

Fitness app, which a user can see live tracking of their run, with stats and timer that tells you about heart rate, personal record, synced to your phone/computer.

idea05:

To-Do app, for people who want to keep track of an upcoming meeting, to see if you’ve gone over your allocated time, and to send small reminders throughout the day for events.

idea06:

Uber app, for people who want a touch and go experience to hail the nearest Uber out of a sketchy area of SF at 10pm on a Wednesday.

idea07:

Compass app, for when you find yourself in the middle of the woods without data and have no idea where you’re going.

idea08:

Voice recording app, for when you actually say “note to self”, imagine that someone is actually recording it for you.

idea09:

Heart rate app, to keep track of health progress during intensive exercise because all gym machines seem to keep track of that

idea10:

Weather app, everybody needs to check weather realtime, because can we really trusts Berkeley weather forecasts to be consistently 70 degrees? Also it’s information that’s handy to have at all times.

idea11:

Flashlight app, for the moments you find yourself in a blackout or finding your bed after your roommates went to sleep and shut off all the lights.

idea12:

Transit app, for the moments you want to find when the next 51b is miraculously going to be at the nearest stop.

Verdict:

The people I interviewed were mostly interested in a notification center for their watches. One voiced that he enjoyed an analog face, which only changed if there was some information that needed to be displayed at minimal. Both really emphasized the battery life of their phones, which I’m sure they’ll appreciate if they use apps that have low computing needs, and will therefore extend the battery life of their watches. I chose to prototype the fitness app because both interviewees seemed to lead decently active lifestyles, whether it was biking to destinations or making your commute route. The first interviewee seemed really into using wearable components in health tech, which gave me the idea to monitor heart rate, as the wrist is a optimal location to easily record this data.

Prototyping:

I made the watch out of duct tape, cardboard, and post-its. I added a closure and strap secure to familiarize the design to a normal wrist watch. I also chose to add a button on the leftside of the face since I myself enjoy real buttons. The button will bring you from any screen back home, or if you are at home, it will bring you to the application manager. 

User Testing:

I made my roommate test my prototype, and explained to her to use it in a running setting. She refused to actually get up from her chair, but said she'd pretend to act like she was running. I basically told her it was a running app and pointed out that there was a button, then let her take the wheels.

Her first instinct at the home screen was to swipe, since that's what she expects from me giving her some tech-related thing, but eventually she clicked the button after receiving head shakes from me. The rest of her interaction with the app went smoothly, until the point of the heart rate and pause, which took her awhile to figure out was a swiping motion. She kept clicking the heart and the pause, and we discussed how difficult it is to actually depict a swipe screen on a piece of paper, as usually you can just find out if it's a swipe motion by experimentation. Will account for how to display a swipe motion later on. She also brought up the issue of the button being on the left, as she regularly wears a watch and the knob for fixing the hands is on the right side. I asked a few more people about the button issue and there was no majority rule on whether you use your thumb or index finger to press a watch button. 

Most confusion went back to knowing when you should swipe versus when something is a button, which can be addressed later down the road when I figure it out. She did like that I had one big button, instead of multiple or none, since it disguises well as a regular watch. She also liked that the fitness app had a live view of the roads and which paths you should be taking, as well as the static bar on top of all screens which clearly display the time, thus always maintaining its main functionality as a watch. We actually agreed that a swipe motion would be better for a fitness app, as it's harder to find the area you want to press when you're actually running, a swiping motion is less accurate and easier for people actively moving.

Verdict:

01. Address the confusion between swiping and a button

02. Is it acceptable to have the functionality of the button change depending on whether or not you're on the home screen? There was some confusion about that

03. Roommate said I had terrible handwriting

04. Keeping time as the #1 priority is A++

05. Watch looks like a real watch. Not too gaudy.