the better for wear
Part I
For this assignment I conducted two interviews. The first interview was with a 17-year-old male high school student who plans to study law, who we'll call interviewee "A". The second interview was with a 23-year-old female veterinary student interning at the Banfield Pet Hospital. We'll call her interviewee "B".
Interview Transcript
When was the last time you didn't have your phone readily available and wanted to perform some task on it? What was the task you wanted to perform?
A: Late May, on my way home from school, I wanted to check the MUNI bus times, but I couldn't because I forgot my phone at home.
B: Yesterday during work. I wanted to access the Facebook Messenger App on my iPhone during my lunch break.
Similarities: I noticed that both intended usages for their smartphones were for transmitting/receiving information.
Where do you usually keep your phone?
A: I keep my phone in my pocket.
B: Left front jeans pocket.
Similarities: As expected, both interviewees keep their phones in their pockets.
Imagine performing the task on a smartwatch. How would you complete the task?
A: In the same way as I would with my iPhone. I don't fat-finger stuff so the smaller screen size would not be a problem.
B: I don't think Facebook Messenger would be able to fit on a smartwatch. The screen size is too small.
What I Learned: Through these interviews I learned about the scale of application capabilities for the iPhone, and how some of them may and may not be used for the smartwatch. Both my interviewees highlighted how their smartphones were able to emit/receive information effectively. This is because of the availability of the smartphone. Most people keep their smartphones in close proximity wherever they go, and it's pretty easy to whip them out in any situation (unlike computers/laptops and maybe even tablets). This accessibility allows for greater dependence on the smartphone (in terms of these two interviews, the interviewees relied on their smartphones to relay information). This aspect of the smartphone can be captured and reinvented by the smartwatch, maybe even to a greater extent. In terms of accessibility, the smartwatch can beat the smartphone (keeping a device physically strapped onto you, as opposed to one in your pocket). Although the smartwatch interface is much smaller that that of the smartphone, I would imagine that smartwatches would excel at daily tasks regarding the transfer of information, such as messaging. I don't think large applications, such as video game applications, would be feasible on the smartwatch due to the small interface. I also don't think applications that require a lot of typing, such as iMessage or Facebook Messenger, would be appropriate for the smartwatch due to its small interface. However, this can be avoided with a speech-to-text interface (which I personally think is brilliant). All in all, I found these interviews to be extremely insightful for brainstorming new applications by learning about how users would want to use their smart devices.
Part II
Brainstorm!
I then brainstormed twelve different applications for the smartwatch:
1. Weather Application: Can check the weather around your location.
2. Mini Google Maps: Navigate to a place when you have your hands full.
3. Calorie Counter: Check how many calories you have burned (or gained) in a set time period.
4. Mini Camera: For photos you want to take here and there. You can use this to sneak photos!
5. Animal Identification App: Which animal is it? Identify via audio or photo of animal tracks.
6. QR Code Reader: Similar to those for smartphones, but for smartwatches.
7. Checklist: Application that would remind the user what they need to get done!
8. Speech Messaging: Although the interface would be too small for texting, a speech to text application would be appropriate. Similar to Siri on the iPhone.
9. Pedometer: A simple application that can record the amount of distance you've traveled/number of steps you've traveled.
10. Next Bus: Know when the next bus is coming! Search up bus times so you won't be late.
11. Google Translate: An application that's basically Google Translate, but perhaps in speech form (translate speech in one language to another language).
12. Where's My Phone?: An application that would track your phone's location.
Favorite Application?
What's my favorite application? Speech Messaging, because I can see it replacing text messaging!
Photos
Below you can find pictures of the planning and creation of my prototype, as well as user testing by interviewee A.
User Testing
I received a lot of good feedback from interviewee A as well as other users about how I could improve my design. One prominent suggestion that came up was making the message interface more structured, as in adding designs that make the certain sections more distinct. Organization was also another major topic. Users pointed that the contact list should be organized by alphabetical order, which I had not thought about when creating the prototype. Testers also pointed out that the application should support multiple languages and recommended that I add a settings page that would select the language. Lastly, users commented on the aesthetics of the application. Many users like the placements of messages and buttons, but told me to add distinct colors to distinguish them from each other and the background. I'll summarize and list out these insights below:
Insights
- Make the messaging interface more structured. Add designs that would make the different sections in the interface more distinct.
- Contact list should be organized by alphabetical order.
- Add a settings page so the user can choose the language he/she wants to speak in.
- Add distinct colors to features on the message page to distinguish them from the background.
The design process I experience taught me many things about user interface and what users want to see in an application. I had a lot of fun designing this prototype!
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