10 January 2016
"Look around. There’s no denying it – wearables have arrived. But with their arrival also comes a slew of design challenges. Since the design community is often generous, we’d like to pay it forward by sharing five principles on creating great wearable design. These aren’t rigid rules; just five thoughts to help teach (and maybe entertain) you. Enjoy!"
Source: Fjord Site
Wearables pose a unique challenge to designers. They are worn publicly to express our sense of fashion and style, but at the same time they can display extremely personal data. With these new devices, we may find ourselves “wearing” some of the most personal aspects of ourselves: our conversations, relationships, and even health. Unlike our smartphones which we can conceal in the privacy of our pockets, wearables may ironically be the most intimate and public devices yet. When designing for this paradox, we should keep in mind this precarious tipping point between Public and Personal.
Screen real estate (if the device even has a screen) is extremely limited, so exposing users to the smallest amount of data possible to help them achieve their goals is key. Designs overloaded with detailed information will require too much attention, may distract users or compete with their social context. In most scenarios, services should show one piece of information at a time. Make it count.
Wearable displays are a lot smaller than we are used to. However, with constraint comes opportunity. To make up for their lack of screen size and visual-based interactions, many wearables offer new and different ways to input and receive information. Gesture recognition, tapping patterns, health data and vibrational communication are all some of the capabilities that will enable the future of screen-less interactions. Fist bump to tweet!
Today, we have a ton of access to data and communications, so prioritizing is essential. We should focus on delivering only the most important information when the user needs it, creating experiences that support rather than overwhelm. The goal is to create a system that elegantly stays in the background of our lives while supporting specific tasks. Don’t let it snowball out of control!
Wearables are the newest addition to our digital lives. And like many devices, they will experience connectivity problems. They will also face the challenge of integrating with the existing devices in our digital ecosystem. As designers, we should strive to provide useful offline modes and frictionless transitions between our increasingly numerous devices. Offline is your time to shine.
Wearables pose a unique challenge to designers. They are worn publicly to express our sense of fashion and style, but at the same time they can display extremely personal data. With these new devices, we may find ourselves “wearing” some of the most personal aspects of ourselves: our conversations, relationships, and even health. Unlike our smartphones which we can conceal in the privacy of our pockets, wearables may ironically be the most intimate and public devices yet. When designing for this paradox, we should keep in mind this precarious tipping point between Public and Personal.
Screen real estate (if the device even has a screen) is extremely limited, so exposing users to the smallest amount of data possible to help them achieve their goals is key. Designs overloaded with detailed information will require too much attention, may distract users or compete with their social context. In most scenarios, services should show one piece of information at a time. Make it count.
Wearable displays are a lot smaller than we are used to. However, with constraint comes opportunity. To make up for their lack of screen size and visual-based interactions, many wearables offer new and different ways to input and receive information. Gesture recognition, tapping patterns, health data and vibrational communication are all some of the capabilities that will enable the future of screen-less interactions. Fist bump to tweet!
Today, we have a ton of access to data and communications, so prioritizing is essential. We should focus on delivering only the most important information when the user needs it, creating experiences that support rather than overwhelm. The goal is to create a system that elegantly stays in the background of our lives while supporting specific tasks. Don’t let it snowball out of control!
Wearables are the newest addition to our digital lives. And like many devices, they will experience connectivity problems. They will also face the challenge of integrating with the existing devices in our digital ecosystem. As designers, we should strive to provide useful offline modes and frictionless transitions between our increasingly numerous devices. Offline is your time to shine.
