Smart Watch

I was thinking that it would be nice to use an off-the-shelf strap to make the watch more customizable, but the strap could stand to be a little more design-ey.

I’m a little unsure about the magnet too, I’ll keep thinking of some other options. I do think there should be some sort of mechanism to secure it in place better, it’s just that since the whole bezel spins to navigate the UI I’ll have to get a bit creative with any locks that involve spinning or turning. In the end I just want to make it as fool-proof as possible for the end user to swap out watch straps.

I the mean time, here are a few paper mock ups I made to help figure out the right scale:



This first sketch model was made from the 42mm watch face and I think it looks alright on my wrist (maybe a little bulky). Next I’ll have to see what size watch looks good on a girl’s wrist.

Nice idea to do the size studies. A couple of mm either way makes a big difference.

In terms of a mechanical connection, you could do something that dovetails in from the side and locates with a ball Bering style detent. In fact each of the strap ends could have a ovetail like molded end bit that could slide onto the case eliminating the need to have a double wall there…

But, is his is a case of the tail wagging the dog? Watch straps are already reasonably interchangeable. Maybe the focus should be on executing one great strap so you don’t go down a rabbit whole because you already have a lot for a user to learn and understand.

A few millimeters do make a huge difference! I made 4 of those paper models into 3d foam sketches and went around talking to some people at a local coffee shop. I figured that men and women would have different preferences as far as the size, but this pretty much cemented that idea.


I talked to 20 people at the coffee shop (12 women, 8 men). 5 of 12 women preferred the smallest watch (34mm), and 6 of the 8 men preferred the 2nd largest watch (40mm). I guess my next decision is whether to have two different versions of the watch or to have a size somewhere in the middle. Another surprising stat was that 15 out of the 20 people I spoke with had watches, I was actually expecting fewer people to have them. A few said they used to wear watches, but don’t now that they have a smartphone.

That’s not a bad idea with the interchangeable/universal strap. I was thinking off-the-shelf parts so that it could be user-customizable, but if I made a one-size-fits-all strap, that would make it a lot easier to sell the first batch of watches. I like the idea of dovetailing for the watch connection… I think I should start looking at other things that lock together for some mechanical inspiration. Thanks for the insight!

No problem.

A way to resolve the size issue would be to pinpoint who you feel the early adopter for this might be… For example, of it is the silicon valley male, maybe just make the men’s watch.

Also, design research much more about what people do than what they say. Sometimes we go in and ask a question, like “what size would you prefer?” and then casually ask “wou,d you mind if we measured your watch?”… I bet there was a discrepancy between what they said they would prefer and what the size of their watch actually was. The second is more important because it gets to what they would actually choose to live with vs what they think is the right answer. You could always repeat the exercise. I’m not surprised how many people were wearing watches, it is a popular blog story to say people aren’t wearing them but they remain a tribal indicator of status in our culture.

If you want to use an off the shelf strap for customization, a solution for both the attachment of the module and the customizable strap is the NATO strap. They come in a lot of widths and colors and only need two bars to slip under. If you design a double of bars or slots into the underside of your module you should be all set.

http://www.fusiongear.com.au/traser-traser-nato-watch-strap-black-22mm-p-443.html

This is a great thread. Tip of the hat to Yo! and to Jake for making this a very fun and informative back-and-forth. Lots of great information and process being shared, and it’s really starting to take shape from your initial designs!

I’m enjoying watching the progression. (BTW, personally I’d prefer the thinnest watch… I tend to bump my watch and catch it on things if it’s too thick…)

Thanks NURB, I’m glad the process has been interesting so far! I think a watch like this could be a very successful, so it’s encouraging to have your and Yo’s feedback. You know, it might be a good challenge to design an interface for that smallest watch. How much information is really necessary to show on a 1 inch screen?

Yo: I’ve heard of that technique, but I haven’t really used it before. It can’t hurt to do a second round of interviews! I like the idea of the NATO band, I’ll have to include that in my next batch of designs. I haven’t thought about directing it towards early-adopters before, but I guess those really are the people who spread the word about your product. I should do a little research on that, but I’m sure you’re not far off that techie guys are most likely going to be the first buyers.

Hey Jake, It may make sense to spend an hour thinking of what your brand values/ story would be. I think it’ll help you with some of the design decisions…screw in bars? spring bars? proprietary snap system? NATO? Black PVD steel case? or ceramic? or Rubber? Is the UI really white with red blue?

I’m not quite sure where the design of the watch is aimed yet.

Hey Brett, That’s a really good point. This could be a good opportunity for me to expand on the personas I developed early on in the process into a full-blown brand identity. I think that will be my next step, because it’ll probably answer most of the questions I have about what the device should look like and what kind of functions it needs to have.

I have a couple of job opps I’d like to apply to, so I might try to package the work I have so far into my portfolio. I know it’s still early on in the process, but it’s probably a good idea to show people the projects I care about. I’m thinking 3-4 pages just showing early process and research. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to present work-in-progress?

I just put together the work I have so far into a little story that explains where the idea originated and what my next steps are. I should be starting some of those next steps as early as next week.





Maybe relevant to your thinking… bluetooth linked smartwatch with eink display. It was making the email rounds this morning

I just saw that the other day when it launched. It has a lot of nice features, but it also looks like it was designed by engineers. I’m not sure I like the idea of launching a product that immediately has a dev kit. It’s like they didn’t want to design the features themselves so they’re letting everyone else decide for them.

This definitely kicks up the pressure for this project, though. I’ll really have to define the use-case for my watch if it’s going to compete against all these alternatives.

I agree about the design, it’s not refined… I really hate the border around the screen for some reason too.

There’s definitely interest in this kind of product, that link says they received $500,000 Kickstarter Funding in one Day

Horrible design, but really nice proof point in the world, as is this:
http://www.wimm.com/

The WIMM has been around for almost a year, and they have a similar market strategy. They build and sell the hardware and then developers come up with the applications. The WIMM hasn’t really taken off, so this strategy is probably not the way to go.

That engineer watch just raised 1m dollars in 28 hrs - amazing! It’d make an interesting 1hr re-design challenge…

Good idea!

thanks Yo, it seems all about styling a tiny screen - so many ways to go

This bluetooth connected smartwatch is nice too, in case you missed it Jakebot

Thanks for the shout out in the Pebble article today Core77!!! It’s exciting to be contributing to this growing new trend!

Thanks for the vid, Travisimo! I haven’t seen the watch in action before. The Sony smart watch is pretty small, which is interesting…

We’ve been following. This thread made its way around to a few folks at frog SF as well. :wink: Keep pushing!