Design 02: Group Brainstorm

Group Name: Bit Crushers

Group Members: Brett Kamita, Wisam Reid, Peterson Cheng, Kevin Qi, Erik Krogen

Brainstorm Ideas:

Format is "Idea Name (Target Audience) - Description". An asterisk (*) next to the idea name denotes that there is a sketch available for the idea below the list of ideas.

1. Sports Notifications (Sports fans) - Get updates of when significant events, e.g. touchdowns, occur in sporting games / for sporting teams that you follow.
   
2. Digital Periscope - Stream from a camera on your watch to your phone (or vice-versa) to enable you to see around corners, under couches, etc.
   
3. Camera Shutter Remote* (Photographers) - Would enable you to remotely control the shutter on your phone camera, e.g. for taking group pictures without needing to use a timer.
   
4. Shopping List - Display a simple shopping list on your watch with a list of items you need to purchase and a simple interface to mark an item as purchased.
   
5. Digital Wallet - Similar to Apple Pay, this system would allow you to hook up credit cards, bank accounts, etc to your watch and use it in place of your wallet. Would have built-in verification. Easily tap your watch on a POS to pay.
   
6. "Yo"-like app - Similar to "Yo" on the App Store, have a small friends list. When you click on someone's name, it sends them a simple message, e.g. "Yo." We think it makes more sense on a smart watch since typing a message would be more difficult than on a phone.
   
7. Snake -  The Retro game Snake, playable through simple swiping gestures. A good simple game to kill a few moments of time when it wouldn't be worth it to pull out your phone.
   
8. Location-based Game - Display a notification when you're near some sort of location, e.g. geocaching, and present you with a task of some sort. Possibly include others around you.
   
9. Personalized Vibrations/Notifications - Similar to the current standard of personalized vibrations, the watch would use an array of personalized vibrations to communicate, extending beyond basic alerts to facilitate easy and quick communication
   
10. Price Drop Notifier (Thrifty Shoppers) - Notifies you when the price of an item/time remaining drops below a certain threshold.
    
11. Real-time News Updates - A real-time interface that sits on top of the underlying OS, constantly alerting the user important happenings and occurrences that pertain to the user; would have personalized notification settings and varying length of the update themselves
    
12. Nextbus-like App - Real-time and GPS tracking app whose sole purpose is to help the user find the nearest, quickest bus to their destination. Will take things into account such as distance from location, aggregate cost, whether or not you have a bus pass, etc
    
13. Speedtrap/DUI Checkpoint Notifier (Drivers/Commuters) - When on the road, the app will allow you to a) quickly notify other drivers traveling in the same or opposite direction that there is a speed trap/dui checkpoint. Also will receive notifications from others if one is approaching
    
14. Traffic / Accident Notifier (Drivers/Commuters) - A more benign version of the Speedtrap/DUI Checkpoint Notifier, would alert the user about upcoming traffic. Could be useful e.g. on your way to work--probably wouldn't have navigation on since you know the way, but it would be useful to know if there was unusual traffic (e.g. an accident) ahead
    
15. Nearby Friend Locator - Using GPS of you and your friends, this app would track where your close friends are in relation to you (as well as their distance) and have a simple compass/watch-like interface that will show your friends' locations in relation to a circle
    
16. Wifi Finder / Monitor (Wardrivers / wifi-searchers) - Would display current wifi strength on the watch for easy viewing while driving, as well as whether or not there are unsecured networks within range.
    
17. Restaurant Finder / Wait Times* (Young people) - When you are nearby a restaurant, it tells you the wait time. You can add yourself to the queue, your watch shows a notifcation when your table is ready. Also can help you find the quickest way to get lunch.
    
18. Location-Aware Deals/Coupons (Thrifty Shoppers) - For people who penny-pinch; provide notifications of deals or coupons for a given location and alerts you. If a store is retro-fitted with beacons, could provide aisle-level granularity.
    
19. Uber/Lyft Hailing* (Uber/Lyft/Zipcar Users) - Single screen to display current rate, single tap to call an Uber/Lyft to your current location.
    
20. Zipcar Navigation (Zipcar Users) - For ZipCar, act as a compass/map to nearest Zipcar (or towards parked Zipcar once rented)
    
21. Parking Navigation (Forgetful drivers) - Compass whose "magnetic north" is your parked car. Points you to your car
    
22. i>clicker-esque application (Students) - Provide a simple interface with e.g. four options which are displayed on a large screen, tap to choose one. Similar things exist on phones, but this would do away with the need to pull out your phone during class which can end up taking a long time as well as resulting in distraction ("well, my phone is already out, might as well check Facebook...")
    
23. Phone/Device Context Switching (Power/Business Users) - Accomplishes a similar goal to context-aware profile settings on the phone, but provides an easy way to explicitly change profiles
    
24. Context-aware Battery Management (Power Users) - Turns off unnecessary features when the user is not using the phone (done through proximity to watch, heart-rate sensor/motion sensing)
    
25. Tinder live-map (Single People) - Alerts when other singles are in the area, quick tap to reach out to them easily.
    
26. Hiking Navigation* (Hikers) - Use GPS to monitor movements, notify which direction to go at turns. Could also notify if you've strayed from the correct path. Would also track distance traveled and etc.
    
27. Real-time surround sound source control (Artists/Sound Engineers) - This application would give the user gesture control of source positions during real-time spatial audio authoring and playback.
    
28. Collaborative Music* (Music Teachers/Enthusiasts) - Allows a user to interact with others in proximity by playing simple rhythmic instruments (kick drum/snare/hi-hat/etc) by tapping on the watch
    
29. Chromecast Remote* (Chromecast users) - Would enable you to control pause, play, etc. directly from your watch, liberating you from keeping your computer/phone nearby while watching.
    
30. Home Automation (i.e. Nest) Control* (Nest owners) - Easily view information about your home at a glance. Get notified about events, e.g. door opening, to monitor the status of your home. Make quick changes to home state, e.g. thermostat control.
    
31. Automated Time Clocking / Hours Logging* (Businesses) - This application would automatically clock employees in and out of work, manage and display weekly and daily hour totals with paycheck calculation, and allow employees to clock in and out of their break times. The manager's version of this app would give them access to all employee data, warn when employees are nearing hourly constraints, who's on break, who needs to go on break, and total daily and weekly man hours. Voice activated inquires and control enabled for convenience.
    
32. Sleep Monitor / Tracker - Use the accelerometer to detect levels of motion while sleeping to determine quality of sleep. Watch would detect movements while sleeping, on phone app you would enter activities from the day and you could track what activities improve or harm your quality of sleep.
    
33. Recent Audio Recorder - Would enable you to easily capture spontaneous moments, like a very funny moment of conversation. Things that would normally go by without ever being captured because no one was ready for them, this could record those moments.
    
34. Voice Reminders/Notes - Quick one-tap to record short voice reminders to yourself. Could be played back at a later time, marked as complete/pending or deleted.
    
35. Child Tracker (Parents, Daycare centers) - Use GPS in watch, find a child's exact location. Or can be paired to a base station, issues alert when child leaves base station range (BT 4.0)
    
36. Communication Application for Autistic Children (Autistic Children / Parents) - This application can be used by parents, teachers, behavior therapists, etc to help teach children with and without learning disabilities. The application will use educational activities to reinforce learning through repetition, feedback, encouragement, etc. This application will put fun, interactive learning onto a hands-free mobile device. Voice activation and control enabled for convenience.
    
37. Running Form Tracking (New Runners, Athletes) - Using data from the watch and the phone combined (tracking things like speed, up and down movement, etc) the app will be able to tell if the person is using too much energy or running with improper form. The app would tell the user how to change up their technique
    
38. Swimming Lap Counter (Swimmers) - Use the watch's accelerometer, probably combined with proximity to the base phone, to detect the number of laps you've completed during swimming. Could report on calories burned and etc.
    
39. Toxic Gas/Substance Warning (Elderly, Firefighters) - Use the gas sensor in phone or watch, alerts you when toxic gas or substances detected.
    
40. Heart Attack Early Warning System (Elderly) - Issue an alert when it detects abnormal heart beat, can call for ambulance immediately.
    
41. LifeAlert-esque Watch App (Elderly / Disabled) - Similar to current LifeAlert system, could have a very simple one-touch interface on the watch to allow you to immediately call for help.
    
42. Spoonrocket (Spoonrocket Users) - One-tap to purchase Spoonrocket, compared to Android Wear demonstration of ordering pizza
    
43. Cooking/Recipe App (Chefs / Amateur Cooks) - Display the next step of a recipe on your watch, tap or use voice commands to be able to switch to next step
    
44. Password Manager (Power/Business Users) - Keep a list of your passwords/PINs/etc. Select from the list to view the password to be able to type it in. On your wrist at all times, decreases risk of it getting lost/stolen.
    
45. Secure Message Broadcast (Police Officers) - Broadcast a message to others in range, similar to walkie talkies. Could notify in situations where you can't pull out your phone or use an audible walkie talkie, e.g. when doing a stealth raid on a house.
    
46. One-to-many Message Broadcast (Teachers/Schoolchildren) - If all students e.g. on a field trip had the smart watch, could notify them with messages / reminders, for example reminding them to meet up at a certain place/time, asking if anyone has seen a student, etc.
    
47. Powerpoint Presentation Controls (Teachers/Presenters) - Control a Powerpoint presentation from your watch, swipe/tap on screen to advance. Could show small thumbnail of slide on watch to alert you of what's on screen currently or what's next.
    
48. Landmark Notifications (Tourists) - Give you a notification whenever you're passing within a certain radius of predefined landmarks, could make sure you don't miss cool sights that you're already nearby while traveling while remaining unobtrusive
    
49. Trucker App (Truckers) - Display stats about current trip, i.e. miles covered, time until next mandatory break, time spent driving so far today, etc. Could also display traffic updates. Useful since it avoids cell phone use while driving.
    
50. Underwater Note Taking* (Divers) - Most smartphones aren't as waterproof as some smartwatches, like the Toq. A diver could use the watch as an input device for his phone, which would be in a waterproof container. Individual letters could be drawn on the watch screen with a finger/stylus
    
51. Flashcards (Students) - Could create flashcards on a smartphone app, then review them on the watch. Would be good for quick review sessions e.g. while standing in line or walking, can see the word/idea at a quick glance without pulling out your phone, think about the definition, then check your answer with another quick glance (after tapping to switch)
    
52. Personal Trainer/Motivator (Athletes / Exercisers) - Detect heart rate / use accelerometer to determine wearer's current activity level, play music or encouragement depending on current levels (e.g. if the person is not at activity goal, tell them so)
    
53. Google Voice Search - Speak into watch, have it display first relevant result
    
54. Virtual Post it Notes - This app would allow users to leave notes for themselves and for friends based on geo location.

Project Description:

Idea Selection: Home Automation (Nest) Control 

Home automation is a growing market that is filled with interesting user experience design problems. The goal of Nest’s products, as well as other forms of home automation is to make technology simple and easy to use. Smartwatch integration with home automation systems could be used to infuse HCI into everyday life. The need to carry around remote controllers or our phones in order to use automation systems defeats the point of integrating our electronics in the first place. User access to control needs be instantaneous and readily accessible. We decided to create a smartwatch application for Nest because Smartwatches are a perfect solution to user accessibility. On a social level we think this application would help people to become more conscious of and efficient with their energy consumption. 

Target User Group:

The target group is the home automation user - someone who is conscientious about their energy usage, and is active in monitoring the state and security of their home. They are the type of person who appreciates the comfort of automation over the tedium of manual control - it becomes especially important to design an easy-to-use user experience. By making an investment into these “smart” home automation technologies, they’ve made an intentional effort to monitor and curb their energy use. This person is probably more technologically inclined, but doesn't necessarily want to have to utilize that knowledge in order to make their home automation system work. 

Problem Description & Context:

Efficient and quick use of the Nest home automation system is limited by the devices that control it. Currently Nest supports a variety of devices, such as the Jawbone wristband, an iPhone app, the OS in some Mercedes vehicles, and the so-called “Dropcam,” among others. The iPhone app and the interface for the thermostat itself both require unnecessary energy.

An example we can use is the average user at home, who wants to interface with his/her Nest product. For a task as simple as checking the house temperature or changing the heat settings, it requires a full unlocking and opening of the Nest app. The cumbersome task of finding the app and changing the appropriate settings detracts from the ease of using a Nest system.

A main feature of the Nest ecosystem is the CO2 and Smoke detector systems. The appearance of smoke and CO2 is obviously a very time-sensitive event; minutes could be the difference in a catastrophe. It is easy to envision times where a person is unable to reach his or her phone; in the car, in class, or at a meeting are all perfect examples.

Mobile App Reasoning:

Smartphones are always with you, even when you are staying at home. On a cold/hot day, you can pre-heat/pre-cool your house on the way back, so when you open your door, nice climate awaits. When you are watching TV or having coffee, and you feel like it’s too cold or too hot, you can conveniently reach for your phone, then scroll and swipe to adjust the temperature. Furthermore, a touch screen provides a similar interaction as the Nest controller. We can always swipe on the screen to adjust the temperature. Plus, it’s easy for us to store a list of temperatures for quick access. Most importantly, a mobile app allows us to monitor your house remotely. If there’s smoke alert or CO2 alert, it will be pushed to your phone. Since smartphones can also indicate where you are, temperatures presets can be triggered by location. When you leave your house, it turns down the heater to preserve energy. It can learn your habits, for example, after learning when do you usually arrive home from work, it heats up the house before you get home.

If this was a desktop app or web app, there will be missing a lot of key features I mentioned above. Desktop app lacks mobility, you need a laptop which isn’t always going to be near you; and you can't use any location-based presets. Although a web app can be used with mobile browsers, the interaction are very limited; animations are stiff, and swiping are always choppy. Not to mention that RESTful APIs doesn’t perform well under challenging network conditions and location changes. Therefore, a web app or desktop will produce a poor user-experience.

Smartwatch App Reasoning:

As with most smartwatch applications, the main reason a smartwatch is a good solution as opposed to a mobile phone is primarily due to convenience. You would be able to receive notifications about changes to your home’s status very easily and quickly; for example, if you were out for the day and levels of smoke or CO2 rose in your home, you would want to know immediately, regardless of whether you were in a meeting, out to lunch, or whatever. A smartwatch is very well suited to this because you can quickly check a notification in any setting, including situations where pulling out your smartphone isn’t an option or you don’t have it onhand. Even when you’re at home, having Nest available directly on your wrist can be a great convenience. For many users, when they’re at home is a prime time for them to not have their phone directly on hand. Maybe it’s charging, maybe you left it on your desk and went to watch TV, etc. I can imagine many scenarios where I’m nestled comfortably in bed or on a couch, and don’t want to get up, but it’s too hot or cold in my house and need to adjust the temperature. If I didn’t have my phone on me, I would probably just stay right where I was, but my trusty smartwatch would be able to come to the rescue and allow me to quickly change the temperature with very little effort. Additionally, a smartwatch has even more contextual information than a smartphone. For example, when the smartwatch is placed on its dock, this may signal that the user is going to sleep, in which case the thermostat could automatically switch to a different setting. Additional sensors such as heart rate could be useful as well: if the user is at home and their heart rate is increasing, they might be exercising, so maybe the air conditioning should be turned on.