Wearable OS Design

The Seiko Ruputer PDA watch was unveiled in 1998 and could run applications, make calendar events, write reminders, and strangely enough, a stick-figure version of the Kama Sutra! The Ruputer failed due to its high price, most crazy battery life, and clunky size. It wasn’t until the advent of Pebble Smartwatch, Google’s Wear OS and Apple’s Watch OS around why did the wearable sector take

Battery life, screen quality, and miniaturization all played a significant role in pushing wearable devices into the mainstream, but these also impacted smartphones and computers. The explosion in use boils down to User Interface. These devices are inherently very personal, and the industry learned these devices should have lightweight interfaces that are very responsive, centered around voice control and glances that convey information quickly.

Focusing on a single task, dynamically adapting to different environments, and customization are all key factors. In addition, notifications and complications (features on a watch that show anything other than the current time) should be quick and concise.

Decluttering the screen was a crucial step in the upswing of wearable adoption. When you’ve presented information this way, you can learn important information in seconds. Moreover, the user is never presented with a menu or list of options to see valuable data; instead, the information needed is always immediately available.

For example, in the screenshot above, we can quickly see a lot of basic info: the date, time, current weather, and activity for the day. On the bottom left and right, we can see shortcuts to a timer and messages.

Here is an example of my watch home screen dynamically changing based on the current time and location. Sometimes the cards show my heart rate, topical news, or my calendar events. You can see at the bottom it will remind me when to put my phone and other screens away to begin winding down for bed, all based on my alarm for the next day. This AI has even reminded me to buy groceries when passing by a grocery store!

Wearable tech is a personal experience tailored to the specific user and should be reflected in the design and UI. Deep levels of expression are crucial to feeling connected to our devices by providing a sense of connection. Above are three of my often used lock screens, the left being a personal favorite, as it cycles through each a favorite picture of mine every time I raise my wrist. Modular watchbands also help with self-expression, and I love matching the middle Pride watch screen with my rainbow bands.

To conclude, wearable UI has come a long way since the early days of the industry. Without the understandings of human interaction and ease of viewing information, this wouldn't have been possible. As a result, we’re now seeing an industry that has become a valuable part of everyday life.