Target Group:
The goal was to find an older (at least post-college) audience, preferably people who have some interest in tech gadgets and would be open to considering new auxiliary devices to improve and facilitate their lifestyles. With this target audience in mind, I set out to conduct interviews in Downtown Berkeley.
Assignment Part 1: Observations and Interviews
Interview #1
Physicist at a People's Cafe (University/Oxford):
Mobile Phone: iPhone 5
For the sake of anonymity, we shall refer to this person as "Jack".
While conversing with Jack, I learned quite a bit in regards to what a sort of features might be useful to someone who travels a lot. Jack was constantly traveling to different parts of the country as well as abroad internationally. When asked about problems utilizing a mobile phone, he mentioned that he would like an alternative to the current Apple App Store and search functions in general. Jack did not report any issues interacting with the interface or accessibility to his phone (as he had it handy with him in his pocket at all times), but he did provide a variety of features that would accommodate his busy lifestyle.
Jack mentioned that he enjoyed running/jogging and exercising in general. When he is exercising, he prefers not to have to bring his phone with him, as it proves to be an extra weight burden and inconvenient in the sense that there is no ideal place to store it. In this case, he would be open to the idea of having a smart watch fixated on his wrist. For the watch, he suggests that a heart monitor application or a speed reporting application may be prime features that would greatly help facilitate his workout routine. Additionally, a built in GPS navigating application would be able to display his current location, in case he is running a far distance away from home or traveling. Detection of significant changes in pulse, thermal temperature, or blood pressure could be other features to consider for this sort of application.
This brings up his next point of interest: using a smart watch to improve his traveling experience. When Jack is waiting on a plane or train arrival/departure, he would like to receive updates or changes through an application on a smart watch. This would greatly simplify the task of having to pull the phone out from his pocket, unlock it, and then find the message or update. Alerts are generally preferred to be as accessible as possible, and having a wearable with easy access is a huge benefit, especially when both hands are full with luggage. He also suggests that this application should be very customizable to suit the user's needs.
One more feature that Jack brought up was the accessibility to a language translator application. On his travels and excursions to different parts of the world, it may be hard to break the language barrier when communicating with others or navigating the streets. Jack also mentioned a couple more specific ideas that may make this application stand out. One idea was the option of speaking to a Siri-esque AI that would be able to translate from a specified language to another. Another option focused more on the ability of the smart-watch to take a picture of a sign in a foreign language and perhaps translate that back into a specified language. I was particularly interested in this idea as this would further serve to connect people across cultures and break many barriers.
Interview #2
Engineer at Starbucks (Shattuck/Kittredge):
Mobile Phone: Samsung Galaxy S4
For the sake of anonymity, we shall refer to this person as "Sam".
Sam kicked off the interview in an interesting matter. When asked if he had any issues with his current mobile phone, he replied with a quick and matter-of-fact, "Nope." As I found this hard to believe, I tried to dig a bit deeper, asking if he had issues with the interface or different application features on his current device. He also answered this with an unwavering "Nope." Sam then went on to explain that he had no problem utilizing his phone for his daily purposes. He kept his phone with him at all times in his pocket, and there was really never a time where he would need anything other than his phone.
Next, I tried to inquire whether or not he would consider using a smart watch in any condition over his mobile phone, to at least present this option to him. Sam then paused and seemed to ponder this idea for a while. He immediately brought up the viability of a health monitor or sleep monitor app, to gather data on patterns in these fields. This idea had already been brought up and implemented in some smart watches, so I asked what he did for work.
As an engineer, Sam spent much time conferring with his boss and colleagues in meeting rooms, and occasionally he would have trouble hearing (due to hearing loss). For this reason, he presented the idea of a hearing aid controller, by which he could possibly remotely control his earpiece to amplify the noise level. Another alternative to this would be a simple audio recorder that could be used to record and transfer audio clips to another device. Playback for the recorded audio files would serve the same functions as WebCasts at Berkeley. Being able to listen to a lecture or meetings over again would reduce any missed information on the meeting minutes.
This got some creative juices flowing, as then Sam began to inquire about the feasibility of including a flashlight or laser to the smart watch. The flashlight would serve to light up dim places, and the laser could be used by an application to perhaps collect data and judge the distance of a faraway object. I thought this idea was particularly neat, as judging distances is usually a pretty difficult task to accomplish without the aid of some type of laser sensor, and is not currently a function on phones. Another sensor could be added to the face of the smart watch to detect lighting and perhaps even how bright a certain light bulb was compared to another. For functionality, these would definitely be options for a smart watch that would be unique and cutting-edge.
Brainstorming & Prototyping:
Brainstorm:
I compiled a list of possible ideas for features/applications on smart watches that could serve to improve utility and design below:
1) Phonebook application - a phonebook synched with the phonebook on a smartphone to provide easy access, especially when phone is not available.
2) Heart Rate / Sleep Pattern Monitor - collects heart rate data and sleep pattern data to generate graphs and detailed reports.
3) Clipper Card Application - instead of scanning a Clipper Card every time to use the transportation services, one can scan their smart watch.
4) Traffic Monitor - real time updates on traffic conditions on the current path to destination, as well as alternative routes -- instead of pulling out a phone.
5) GPS - a must-have for traveling long distances and locating nearby attractions and points of interest.
6) Barcode Scanner - usable to scan barcodes at a grocery store to facilitate speed of checkout and reduce wait time.
7) Pressure / Humidity Sensor - collects information about the current atmospheric pressure and humidity of the user's surroundings (great for hikers).
8) Hearing Aid Remote - manage hearing aid's volume settings remotely; useful especially when wearing a helmet (or other object obstructing path to ear).
9) Laser Distance Tracker - tracks how far a specific point of interest is by pointing a laser at it and retrieving the data (could track speed as well).
10) Flashlight - useful in any situation; as a wearable, it is much more accessible than a phone's flashlight function.
11) Language Translator - translates a user's input from one language to another through voice commands or visual cues.
12) Alerts and Notifications - updates on any change in plans, whether it be weather/natural disaster warnings or transportation arrival/departure times.
13) Search Engine - may be operable through voice or text commands, to provide quick and reliable searches.
14) Information Exchange Handshake - transfer contact information through a handshake with someone else with the same smart watch application.
15) Step Counter - for those who want to record how far they've traveled in a certain span of time.
16) Compass - for the outdoors user who wishes to pinpoint the direction they are heading in.
17) Calculator - for quick and easy calculations.
18) Holographic Peer-to-Peer Communication - instant transmission of a 3-D model of the person you are trying to contact. Sorry, couldn't resist :)
The one I chose to prototype was the Language Translator (idea #11), as I found it to be a very applicable application. For the international traveler, this is a must-have application, for obvious reasons. The accessibility to a voice, image, and text-commanded translation application greatly simplifies navigation as well as communication with others in foreign countries.
Prototype:
Prototype Design:
The prototype was constructed using a disassembled coffee cup holder along with sticky post-it notes. An additional layer of padding was added directly under the watch to increase comfort while wearing the watch. The wrist band was cut from the coffee cup holder, and the face of the watch was created by a small cardboard cutout. The post-it notes were positioned in the center of the watch face, and voila!
Prototype Application Description:
The Translator application consists of multiple screens with a simplistic, minimalistic interface. The user is first presented with the title screen with the name of the application, "Linga". Next, the user is prompted to selected a language to translate from, with a drop down menu with scroll-down capabilities. Then, the user is prompted to choose a selected language to translate to, along with the same drop down menu of the language options. Although not shown in the screens, there is also a built in feature to save presets in case you tend to translate from a specific language to another frequently. After choosing the languages, the user can choose to either type in, speak, or snap a picture and translate all relevant content to a specified language. The translation is then displayed on the final screen, along with an option to listen to the pronunciation of the translated content. A translation application on a smart watch poses many advantages. While on the go, a person can quickly translate a road sign to determine where they should be heading. Additionally, the user can record a bit of dialogue from someone they wish to communicate with and then simply have the translator do the work for them. Once we get the technology, we can try to get this translation in real time so it is a seamless experience.
Prototype Demo:
Feedback/Insights:
The users gave a their thoughts and suggestions/improvements that could be made to make the smart watch and application more efficient and user-friendly:
1) One user was looking for a sidebar in the application to story presets for language translation options. He proposed that this functionality would greatly facilitate the application's use, especially if a user was trying to learn a specific language.
2) Another user suggested that the application should include an update/add word function in order to map certain translations. This would help to improve the translation quality, especially translations that do not translate well literally.
3) Most users enjoyed the simplistic design of the application, but wished to see more images/visuals to enhance their experience. One user suggested simply generating the text in random assorted colors.
4) Another point for improvement would be the maneuverability through the application. It is best to make the navigation of the application as intuitive as possible to allow users to pick it up without much effort or stress.
5) One more point for improvement would be to color code segments of the translation to correspond with parts of the input. This would further learning, although it might prove to be a very difficult task with the current state of language analysis programs.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable project to take on, and I look forward to improving on my design/prototyping cycle.
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