First Interviewee Transcript:
1. Where do they usually keep their phone (i.e. pocket, book bag, purse, etc)?
"Purse"
2. What was the task they wanted to perform?
"While I was getting dessert with friends, my alarm went off alerting me to check in for a Southwest flight. I couldn't wait and needed to check in right away."
3. Have them describe the action they wanted to do (i.e. reply yes to a message, ask for directions to an ice cream shop, write a review of a restaurant, etc).
"Bring up the confirmation number and check in exactly at flight time, exactly 24 hours earlier."
4. Ask them to imagine a performing the same task using a wrist worn interface touchscreen.
"If I had a smartwatch, I'd want to set the alarm with the link to the Southwest website with the confirmation number and name pre-filled. (Now I type the confirmation number into the alarm description and need to re-type it. Who can type 8y5s63 into the Southwest app without interrupting a conversation with old friends?) With a smartwatch, when I got the alarm (set to be a vibration, not a sound that would be rude), I could discreetly press a button and check in, then have the mobile boarding pass image sent to my phone's Gallery so it would be there even if I didn't have WiFi available at the airport. I'd also like some acknowledgement that the task had been completed so I didn't worry that it didn't go through and I'd end up with boarding position C59."
5. Then briefly write up what you learned and provide documentation who you have talked to. This will include describing who you talked to without mentioning names (e.g., "45-year old line cook at a restaurant in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto"), and providing a summary of the lessons learned from each individual interview. If there are common patterns that emerge across interviews, make sure you describe these as well - such commonalities are excellent opportunities for redesign.
"I'm a 58 year old tech savvy project manager for a computer company who spends a lot of time with people who aren't in tech, and doesn't want to appear geeky to them. But I want a good boarding position on Southwest."
Second Interviewee Transcript:
1. Ask them to recall the last time they remember not having their phone readily available (i.e. in their hand) and wanted to access something using their mobile phone (i.e. make a call, look at the BART schedule, reply to a message, play a game, etc). Where do they usually keep their phone (i.e. pocket, book bag, purse, etc)? What was the task they wanted to perform?
"Definitely while driving to work. Wanting to be able to read a text or email without taking my phone out of my pocket and answer it."
2. Have them describe the action they wanted to do (i.e. reply yes to a message, ask for directions to an ice cream shop, write a review of a restaurant, etc). Ask them to imagine a performing the same task using a wrist worn interface touchscreen.
"Ideally, I'd be able to have my phone chime, and I can look over at my watch. Then by pressing a button, or maybe saying a voice command, the watch would read the message to me, or at least who it's from, then if it's something quick, like a message from my wife, I would be able to send a text message using my voice back to her. This would be a lifesaver, because my wife is always getting on me about forgetting to text back."
3. This will include describing who you talked to without mentioning names (e.g., "45-year old line cook at a restaurant in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto"):
"I am a 43 year old father and CEO of a tech company operating in the Bay Area. I'm very busy and schedule-oriented."
Post-Interview Thoughts and Analysis:
Both potential smartwatch users I spoke to were business professionals that could greatly benefit from using the right smartwatch if the market provided one. Both work in the tech industry, and would be easy adopters as they are very familiar with smartphones and technology in general. They both expressed the desire to use the watch when the phone was either difficult to manage, or impolite. Being able to do actions that are possible on the phone, but not easy to do when you are occupied with other activities.
I really enjoy the ideas that the first interviewer said about being able to automate certain processes ahead of time so that you can simply click a button on the watch to complete the action when the time comes. However, I think she may have been a little short-sighted. It would be an even greater benefit if the phone or didn't even require a button press. Maybe just a confirmation that the action had been completed. However I suppose if something had changed and the action was no longer necessary, you wouldn't want your watch to automatically do it for you.
The idea I liked the most from the second interviewee was the idea of vocalization. It's much easy to speak to something already on your wrist than an object you have to pull out of your pocket and hold in your hand. If you could hold the watch up to your mouth, or just keep your hands on the wheel of the car and have your phone read a text message to you, and allow you to respond by voice, I think it would be a great benefit. This would also increase safety on the roads.
Overall, I was very pleased by both the interviews. They helped me come up with some great brainstorm ideas.
Brainstorming Ideas:
1. Two screens on the watch, one on top of your wrist and one underneath for showing separate information at the same time.
2. A surgical implant in your arm that makes your watch un-removable but also allows it to take more accurate measurements of your blood and heart-rate. This gives you the ability to accurately know your Blood Alcohol Content at any given time to help prevent drunk driving and give paramedics and easy and reliable way to know how much you’ve had to drink. Maybe it's easier to just have a small pinprick that can take a blood sample instead of making it unremovable.
3. A small speaker that could allow you to hear text messages and emails aloud when you're in a situation, and you can't take your phone out.
4. A small laser pointer that could come out the watch so you can easily point to things that are far away. It would of course have to be a weak enough laser to not harm people’s vision or a pilot’s cockpit.
5. As one of my interviewees suggested, the ability to submit information such as checking in to a southwest flight automatically when registration opens with a tap on the watch so as to not interrupt you when driving or in a social setting where you can’t take out your phone easily.
6. The ability to broadcast music via Bluetooth so that you can wear Bluetooth headphones and have your watch play music or podcasts while you work out. It’s wireless, and you don’t have to carry around a bulky phone or iPod strapped to your arm or in your pocket.
7. The ability to easily connect with other users phones or watches to share contact information and connect on social media sites with the tap of a button.
8. A small camera that can be used to take photos would be good for impromptu selfies and recording video that can be sent directly to your computer and phone via the cloud.
9. In addition to a camera, a small microphone would turn on when you spoke the correct verbal trigger, so you could record your thoughts or what someone is saying when they talk to you. This would also allow you to respond to text messages and emails while driving as my second interviewee suggested.
10. My screens would be a unique shape, with mostly a square shape, but with the corners cut making it an 8-sided figure. The outside of course would be rounded so as to not be too sharp, or cut into your hand. A circular face doesn't give enough space.
11. The second screen that’s on the back of the watch would be facing a different direction. If you’re looking at your palm, it’s usually facing upwards, so the screen on your inner wrist would be the same orientation, turned 90 degrees to the right compared to the top screen when the watch is on your left hand.
12. I would want the watch to be worn on the non-dominant hand in order to be able to interact with it with your dominant hand. I think that makes the most sense and feels most natural.
My favorite brainstorming idea was one of the first I came up with. The idea to have two separate screens. One on the top of your wrist, which you view like a normal wristwatch, and a second on the underside of your wrist to display additional information.
Prototype Images:
Prototype Description:
So using cardboard and duct tape, I put together a prototype for my new smartwatch. I implemented my idea about having dual screens, one on top of your wrist, and one underneath. The top screen would have a "Hello, User" screen with the current time, and the bottom would have black screen until it was double-tapped. From there, you could access all of your apps, and scroll to the left and right to see more. Ideally this prototype would include all of my brainstormed ideas including a small microphone, speaker, and camera.
Prototype Test:
When I gave the prototype to my friend Kyle to try on and examine. I talked a little about the features and what it could do. He was initially very excited about the dual screens. He hadn't ever thought about that before and thought it was a great design choice.
He definitely liked the idea about perhaps being able to watch video on underside of the screen, because that's a more comfortable way to hold your hands than the top side. In particular, he was excited about streaming sports games while he was sitting in a meeting or at the office. Easy to check in with, but not constantly playing in the background to be distracting.
User Insights:
1. A few insights I gained from the prototype testing were that a watch with two screens is likely to be heavier.
2. It would also likely drain battery life faster than a watch with one screen.
3. He also thought that there's a chance the bottom side of the watch may get turned on accidentally which may start playing video or sound when you didn't want it to.
4. He was also worried that it could be bulky and uncomfortable on the bottom side of his wrist.
Summary and Analysis:
These are definitely things that I would take into account in the design space. The screen on the bottom needs to be designed to prevent accidental use or activation, and it should be slim enough that it wouldn't be uncomfortable to wear on a daily basis. Overall though, Kyle was excited by the idea of the double screens and wished this product was a real thing.
I think this is definitely a feasible product if we made a serious effort to conscious design it to prevent these and other flaws.
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