Part 1 - Interviews
Interview # 1 33-year-old lawyer running for Berkeley School Board
I found this lawyer outside of the YMCA. He was handing out flyers to Berkeley voters because he was running for Berkeley School Board. At first, when I asked him if he could remember a time when he needed to use his phone but didn't have access to it he asked if I meant whether it was dead or he just didn't have access to it. I figured I'd ask when he didn't have access to it because phones run out of battery quite often. He said it had been a week or so since he couldn't access it because he forgot it. He wanted to use his phone to check his email. Like most people, he used his phone primarily to check his email, text, call, access the internet and play games. He did mention that he used his computer to check his email if it was nearby.
From what he was talking about he seemed to be quite a busy person. He mentioned that he used his phone to check his email while at work. Since his phone is always in his pocket, depending on the types of pants he is wearing, he has easy access to his email. When he's in meetings he tries not to check his email as often because he should be paying attention to those meetings, as his email will still be waiting to be read when he is out of those important work meetings.
When I asked him to consider wearing a portable device on his wrist the first thing he, jokingly, asked was whether I was from Google or Apple. I had already told him I was doing this interview for a computer science class at Berkeley. It seems to me that he was a bit skeptical of these companies because they already have a lot of access to things people do on their mobile devices and also what the search for on the web. He did say that a watch would be convenient to have. Interestingly enough, while I was interviewing him, he had to move his flyers to one hand to grab his phone out of his pocket and check the time. If he had a device on his wrist he would be able to access the time quicker without having to do extra work.
He mentioned that he would love to get frequent news updates throughout the day because he likes to know what is happening throughout the world. He said if he had a smart-watch device he would like receiving those updates often. He also said it would be nice to have reminders on his watch letting him know of meetings he has to go to because he is quite a busy person.
Aside from work related ways to use a smart-watch, he said it would be nice to have constant pictures displaying on the device of his son and his wife. Since he's busy at work it would be nice to take breaks by looking at his loved ones on the screen. He did mention that when he is home he tries to limit the usage of his smart phone so that he could spend quality time with his family.
While I was interviewing him he continued to hand out flyers to those who walked by, oftentimes being ignored. People would just avoid eye contact so that they could pretend they didn't hear him but it was obvious they did. He continued to ask people if they were Berkeley voters so that he could give them information about his campaign. From what I noticed there were a lot of people who weren't interested and they just nodded to let him know they weren't interested, but others just walked by as fast as they could. Those who were interested would stop by and let him talk about himself. He only talked to them for a few seconds so that he could continue to hand out flyers to others and so that people wouldn't be held back from doing their activities.
Interview #2 A retired woman, volunteer master gardener working at the Berkeley Farmer's Market
This woman was giving out information on different techniques on how to garden at the Berkeley Farmer's Market. When I first approached her she was quite interested in describing the way she used her phone. When I asked her the last time she needed to use her phone but didn't have it on her she mentioned it was just a week ago. She had forgotten her phone at home and she wanted to show some photographs of her family to her colleague at the Berkeley Farmer's Market.
She mentioned that the main reason for her having a cell phone was to make phone calls, not to receive them. She said her phone is always in her purse, which makes it hard to hear when others are calling her. That's the reason she prefers being the one who calls others as opposed to them calling her. She's not constantly checking her phone like others to see if she has any updates. One thing she mentioned that was quite interesting was that she thought using her phone was quite convenient for meeting up with people. She could easily call others to figure out where they were and at what time they should meet up.
When I asked her how to she would interact with a device similar to her phone but on her wrist, she immediately rejected it. She said there was no way she would want such a device on her. I asked her to tell me why and she said the negatives outweighed the positives of having such a device. When I asked her what the negatives were she began to give me a list of things. She said she didn't want a device that updated her all the time. She doesn't like having her phone near her either because it means there are a lot of interruptions throughout the day. Another thing she mentioned which was quite interesting was that a smart watch, like the smart phone, would mean people wouldn't look up because they are so busy looking at their phones/watch. She prefers to interact with people in person when possible.
Although she uses a cell phone, she mentioned that she did not have a cell phone plan. When listing more negatives of having a device on her wrist she said it would mean she would need a plan. She doesn't currently have a phone plan because she buys minutes. She doesn't want a plan because the main reason she uses her phone is to make phone calls and buying minutes is sufficient for her. The alternative to having a plan would be to use the Internet, but she said not every place has WiFi so it would make using the device a challenge for her. She did mention that it would be handy for emergencies but that is about it.
Aesthetically, she mentioned the screen on the device would be too small to use comfortably. She couldn't imagine herself using such a small screen. She mentioned she had a Kindle that she used to read. She would prefer a larger screen on a smart watch so that she could read things better.
At the Famer's Market, I noticed a lot of people just walking by. The Farmer's Market has a different set up that my previous interview because people just walk up to booths they are interested in to learn more about the topic. Although there was a sign up indicating the information she was handing out, people wouldn't know about it until they walked through the whole farmer's market. While I was interviewing her, her coworker did get a few people to stop by and ask questions about gardening. She handed them out a flyer, but they were already carrying a few bags of groceries. The most important thing I learned from this interview was that not everyone has easy access to a lot of information through his or her device. Like this woman, many people may not have access to WiFi everywhere, which makes it hard for them to access data on their mobile devices.
Interview #3/ #4 Man in his 40s and man in his 20s giving out information about Pure Energies at the Berkeley Farmer's Market
#3 Man in his 40s
When I asked him when the last time he needed to access his phone but didn't have it on him he said it was that same day because he forgot his phone in his car. He wanted to check if he missed any text messages or phone calls, but it wasn't urgent. I asked him where he carried his phone and he said it was always in the pocket of his pants. Interestingly enough, he pulled out a broken first generation iPhone from his pocket and showed it to me. He jokingly said he was proud of his "screen protector" which was a piece of tape because his screen was cracked.
I asked him about how he uses his cell phone and he said it was mainly to text, make phone calls and record voice memos. It was interesting that he specifically mentioned he used voice memos because nobody else mentioned that. The phone calls and text messages he sends are usually for his family. In addition, he enjoys listening to his iTunes music on his phone.
When I asked him to imagine a device with similar functions on his wrist, he really liked the idea. He said he didn't like carrying his phone in his pocket so a smart watch would make things a lot more convenient. When I asked him what he would like to see on it, he said he'd like to see similar functions that his phone provides him. Although he liked the idea of a smart-watch, he was concerned about how he would type into it. He said he would want a large enough keyboard to type on. However, he also mentioned he was a minimalist so he would prefer to have a small smart watch on his wrist. He also said was that the watch had to be lightweight and waterproof so that it would actually be convenient to carry all the time.
During this interview, I noticed that a lot of what he wanted to see in a smart-watch was quite simple and straightforward. He knew how he would want to interact with the device and he was quite open to using it. Another interesting thing is that when he was talking to my friend and I about the company he worked for he gave us a flyer but once he saw we were interested he mentioned that there was an updated flyer so he handed that one out. He didn't have enough copies of the newer flyer, which is why he was handing out both. I learned that it would be nice if someone could update a flyer instantaneously if there were any changes, which could be done on a smart watch.
# 4 Man in his 20s
Interestingly enough, when I interviewed the man in his 20s about how he interacted with his phone, he mentioned he was addicted to his phone. He said he used it all the time. His phone is with him at all times. Since I interviewed both men working at Pure Energies at the same time, the man in his 20s didn't mention when the last time he had his phone but needed to use it.
When I asked him in which ways he used his cell phone he began listing them in the order of importance. He said using Google Maps was the number one thing he used his phone for. He always needs directions and he said Google Maps helps him figure out where he needs to go. Like the previous man, this man used his phone to listen to music on Spotify. He said these two things were important when it came to using his phone. In addition he mentioned that he also used his phone for sending text messages and making phone calls, in that order of importance. When I asked him what the other ways he interacted with his phone were he said he used Uber quite often to find a ride home from the bar if his roommates were not available to pick him up.
He mentioned that one thing he would really like to see on his phone is some kind of synchronization with his car so that every time he gets in his car he can tell his phone to give him directions (via voice command) and it will automatically give him driving directions. He said that he thought it was convenient how he was able to enter his car without having to use his key if they were nearby. A feature similar to this with his phone would make his driving experience a lot better.
When I told him to think about having a device on his wrist that could do all of the things his phone could do and more, the first thing he said was that he loses every single watch he owns. He's gone through multiple different watches and without a doubt has lost every single one of those. The idea of a smart watch wasn't too appealing because he felt he would lose it. In addition, he said that while driving he preferred having a large screen giving him directions. When describing his ideal screen size he used the term "phablet" which is a combination of the words phone and tablet. He said he had a photographic memory and would want to see what the rode looks like as opposed to just listening to it.
From this interview, I learned that a smart watch is convenient if it's not lost somewhere. One thing that would make this possible would be to add a tracking feature on the watch so that someone could look for it if it got lost. If this were the case, this man in his 20s would be able to find his phone every time he lost it, assuming it's charged.
Learning Summary
Overall, I found that people with smartphones interact with them quite often. They use their phones mainly to stay in contact with their family and friends and also for business reasons. One thing I learned was that it's important for people to be able to disconnect from the outside world. The retired woman didn't like the feeling of having to communicate with people constantly. To her it was important to leave her phone inside her home while gardening. If someone were to use a smart watch, they would have it on their wrists most of the time so it would be important to give people the option of completely disconnecting while allowing them to keep it on for convenience.
While interviewing these people who flyer, I noticed that the only time giving a flyer to a person was useful was when someone was genuinely interested in the topic or person. Otherwise, it's just another paper that has been wasted. I also noticed that people who weren't interested simply didn't want to be disturbed, especially with the man who was running for Berkeley School Board. There were also people who didn't speak English who couldn't really understand what he was giving flyers about because of the language barrier. With the people at the Farmer's market it was a bit different. Since they had booths set up, it was easier for those who were interested to go and talk to them at their booths. However, this is also an issue if people are unaware of all the booths available at the Farmer's Market.
One thing that still confuses me after these interviews is the ideal size of the screen. Some people prefer larger screens so that they could see and do a lot on their phone. However, the convenience of having the device on your wrist would not allow for a huge screen. The man in his 40s working at Pure Energies talked about how he would prefer a small and lightweight device, which contradicts what his coworker though of the screen size of the devices he likes to use. There is definitely a limit to the size because it would not be convenient carrying a large screen on your wrist. In addition for the man in his 20s, it would be nice to add a tracking device so that he wouldn't lose his smart watch as often as he loses his normal watches. Other people have similar experiences losing watches so this feature would be convenient.
Part 2 - Brainstorming Ideas
1) Interest Matching - If someone with a slight interest in whatever topic you are giving flyers about is near you the watch will vibrate. The vibration lets you know that you can approach the person and (hopefully) not get rejected. If you get multiple vibrations, it will send a flyer to the person's watch directly so they can look at it if they would like to. In addition, if a person accepts your flyer it allows you to notify them one hour before an event so they remember they were interested.
2) Language Translation - Oftentimes people have a hard time communicating due to language barriers. Even if someone is interested in a topic, if they don't understand what the other person is saying they won't stop to listen. This app would allow a user to speak into it in one language and choose another language to translate it. The other person would hear the translated language and they would communicate in that way, without a translator.
3) Finding Directions - This application would recognize when you just enter your car and would automatically wait for you to request directions. This way you don't have to take the time to open the application and type in all the information. It works on voice commands.
4) Freebies - This application is meant to allow people to know where there are free things being given away. It also allows certain people to advertise based on what they are giving away so they attract more people.
5) News Generator- This application updates you on news regularly. If you request to be updated on a particular issue it will only update you on that issue and disregard all other news.
6) People Finder - This application looks for other people with smart watches and smart phones and identifies the locations where a lot of people pass. If someone wants to hand out flyers in a new location they can simply lookup the location for where they can speak to more people.
7) Email Sign-Up - Oftentimes when you want to sign up to receive emails or newsletters for an organization you have to write your name and email on a piece of paper or type it into a laptop or tablet. This application allows a user to send their information on the smart watch by tapping it with another smart watch, which gathers the information for that organization and updates the listservs.
8) Tracking on Your Watch - For people who tend to lose their watches quite often, this application allows you to log in on your computer and find your watch. If you have not lost your watch and just want to know a specific location, for example where you parked, you can simply note the location. When you're ready to find the location you let your smart watch know and it will give you directions. It gives you photographic directions or voice directions depending on your preferences.
9) Gardening Tracker - This application allows you to input when you've planted seeds. It reminds you to water your plants and crops daily, if need be. If you're growing crops it gives you information on how they should be growing depending on the week.
10) Food Saver - This application allows you to input the items you want to buy at the grocery. If you find the items at the grocery and buy them you indicate that you have bought these items. The application gives you different recipes to try out with the items you bought. If an item is about to go bad, it will notify you that you still have it so that it won't go to waste.
11) Roommate Connector - This application allows you to notify your roommates all at once. You can post who has paid rent, when rent is due. You can let your roommates know if you are locked out so they can help you get inside. Group texts can be inconvenient because people often ask multiple follow up questions. This application allows each roommate to know what they have to and if there are questions they can message the one who posted directly.
12) Walking Buddy - We hear quite often that it's better to walk in large groups so that people who may be trying to harm us stay away. Walking Buddy is an application that connects to a social media account. If you are in a certain location in town and want to walk home, it alerts your friends nearby so that they can walk with you. If there has been a recent crime, it alerts each walking buddy of the location so that they can avoid walking that way.
My Prototype
I chose to select Interest Matching as my application so that people who flyer don't have to waste time getting rejected by those who are not interested in the event.
Building my Prototype
I used cardboard paper and sticky notes to build by prototype. For the screen I used a rectangular piece of cardboard and sticky notes. I cut small slits on the wrist part so that the watch could easily be attached to a person's wrist.
Insights from Prototype Testing
For my prototype, I chose to give users the option of being the ones who handed out flyers or being the ones who accepted flyers. The person who tested my prototype was a member from a student organization on campus who was handing out flyers for her club on Sproul Plaza. At first when she opened the app, she clicked on the "I want to flyer" box. A new screen popped up that showed her what her options were for flyering. She was confused about whether she had to check the box or click the name. Once I let her know she could check the box, she did so and that was it. She suggested I include a waiting screen so she knows she successfully accepted to flyer. After she suggested that, I showed her a screen that says there was an interest match. It let her know the information of the person that was interested in her club. She liked the idea of letting her know people were interested. However, one thing she asked was about multiple people being nearby who were interested. On Sproul Plaza there are multiple people who walk by and may be interested in the organization but she wouldn't be able to contact them all with the app. I did not have a screen for that, which made me realize I did not even give her the option to upload her flyer to send an "e-flyer" to others interested. I just let her choose what topic she was flyering about. I originally thought that sending "e-flyers" would be convenient because people could just accept or decline them but I should have allowed the person with flyers to upload one at the very beginning. She also mentioned that some of the topics could be reorganized into broader selections. Once clicked, it could get more specific or they could just the whole topic in general.
Another thing she asked was who had access to the application. I should have allowed the person with flyers to be able to select the people they want to flyer to, for example, Berkeley students. That way they are not flyering to people whom the flyer does not apply to.
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