Google Glass, Samsung Gear, MetaWatch, Fitbit Flex, and a whole host of other wearable devices are weaving a connectivity web with a similar underlying pattern: the smartphone is emerging as the mobile mainframe. Our phones are powerful, always-on, always-connected machines that pipe data to and from these terminals (or devices). The result is an amazing collection of capabilities and experiences for the user.

1. Stitching Together
a UX Strategy for
Wearables and the
Mobile Mainframe
Big (D)esign Conference
Friday, Sept 5 at 1:00pm in the Mobile (Trinity V)
by Philip Likens

2. Wearable
Love & Hate
@PhilipLikens

3. 7 Questions For New Tech
1.What is it?
2.What can it do?
3.Why does it matter?
4.Who are the leaders?
5.How do I design for it?
6.What does it mean for our profession?
7.Where are we headed?

4. WHAT IS IT?

5. WHAT IS IT? /
Wearables
Body-borne devices with complex interfaces,
visual displays, multiple use cases, ongoing
connectivity, and some computational power.
This is not to take away from smart clothing, etc.
@PhilipLikens

6. Internet Of Things Is Here! WHAT IS IT? /
All things working in perfect harmony! @PhilipLikens

7. Er…Internet Of Thing? WHAT IS IT? /
All things funnel through 1 thing - the Mobile Mainframe! @PhilipLikens

8. “…And finally, users always have their smart
phone so we want to make sure all these
connected experiences work based on your
smart phone: be it your wearables, be it your car,
or like we have shown with Chrome Cast, your
television…”
– Google IO 2014 Keynote

9. Internet Of Things? WHAT IS IT? /
@PhilipLikens

10. WHAT CAN IT DO?
@PhilipLikens

11. Log WHAT CAN IT DO? /
Athos @PhilipLikens

12. Notify
MetaWatch M1
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

13. Communicate
FiLIP
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

14. Monitor
Sproutling
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

15. Record
Baidu Eye
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

16. Find
Pebble
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

17. Consume
Bragi Dash
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

18. Control
Samsung Gear
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

19. Verify
Nymi
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

20. Comfort
Cuff
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

21. Others
Digitsole
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

22. WHAT CAN IT DO? /
Powerful Experiences
• Notifications on my wrist without having to look
at my phone
• Doing simple tasks on my wrist without having
to access my phone
@PhilipLikens

23. WHAT CAN IT DO? /
Drawbacks
• Overwhelmed with notifications
• Connectivity challenges
• Fashion
• More devices weighing me down
@PhilipLikens

24. Fashion
Withings Activitie
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

25. Fashion
Motorola Moto360
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

26. WHAT CAN IT DO? /
Fashion
Samsung Gear S w/ Swarovski Crystals
@PhilipLikens

27. Fashion
Tory Burch for Fitbit
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

28. Fashion
Stelle Audio Clutch
WHAT CAN IT DO? /
@PhilipLikens

29. WHY DOES IT MATTER?
@PhilipLikens

30. “Across the world, people check their Android
phones an average of 125 times every day.”
– Google IO 2014
@PhilipLikens

31. WHY DOES IT MATTER? /
My Take
Wearables are the emerging front-end for
mobile design.
Next embeddables? @PhilipLikens

32. Adoption Rates Of Tech WHY DOES IT MATTER? /
http://www.asymco.com/2013/11/18/seeing-whats-next-2/

33. WHO ARE THE LEADERS?

34. WHO ARE THE LEADERS? /
Google
• Contextually Aware
• Voice Enabled
• Seamless
• Mobile First
Apple and Google seems to be diverging in their approaches. @PhilipLikens

35. WHO ARE THE LEADERS? /
Apple Speculation
• Maybe announced Tuesday?
• Could be awesome?
• Could use Today widgets as a jumping off
point?
@PhilipLikens

36. WHO ARE THE LEADERS? /
Pebble
• Nov 2013 adopted a new SDK platform
• Ready to go
• Should be relevant for a while
@PhilipLikens

37. WHO ARE THE LEADERS? /
Hold On Heads Up
• As a consumer, don’t know what to do with it
now
• Directions is the current killer app
• Need better use cases
• Must get more fashionable
• Must get more discrete
• Industrial / Business path to adoption?
@PhilipLikens

38. HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT?

39. HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /
Map Information Needs
• Make note of potential environment(s)
• Consider personal context
•We used a Graffiti Board to gather ideas from
within Sabre concerning Traveler Needs on the
day of travel
ex. What information / tasks do you need access to when
you’re sitting at your gate?
@PhilipLikens

40. Notifications HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /

41. HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /
Threshold For Action
• There is a threshold for action moving from a
wearable to your phone.
• Dig the phone out of your pocket (or find it)
• Unlock it
• Find the app
• Do the task
•Wear’s “Open on Phone” helps
• Apple’s continuity extended to wearables?
@PhilipLikens

42. Taking Action HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /

43. Taking Action HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /

44. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR
OUR PROFESSION?

45. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION? /
Design With Context
• Consider the environment
• Leverage sensors
• Be careful of speculation
@PhilipLikens

46. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION? /
Design For Continuity
• Think about what you’re calling the user to do
• Make it easy for them to pick up where they
left off
• Assume interruption
@PhilipLikens

47. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION? /
Design For Voice
• Voice will be a huge part of the next 5-10
years. Google is betting on it. Apple seems to
be as well.
• As UXers, are we glorified Graphic Designers or
truly concerned with UX?
•We have to understand the UX of voice.
@PhilipLikens

48. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION? /
Voice Testing
• Hotel search tutorial
• Voice only
• Text only
• Call & Response
• 15 total participants
• Threw out call and response
• Text & Voice tied on task completion
• Visual (12), Auditory (0), Kinesthetic (3) Learners
@PhilipLikens

49. WHERE ARE WE HEADED?
@PhilipLikens

50. WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
My Future
•Watch w/ Cell: notifications / small tasks /
emergencies
• BLE Headset: audio content consumption,
talking on the phone, small content creation
• 7” Tablet w/ Cell: creation + consumption
• Laptop: creation + consumption power use
@PhilipLikens

51. In Everyday Life
voice/watch/phone/tablet/car/laptop
Kids:
Commute:
Walking:
Desk:
Meetings:
Lunch:
Evenings:
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WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
@PhilipLikens

52. In Washington DC
voice/watch/phone/tablet/car/laptop
Train:
Walking:
Airport:
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WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
@PhilipLikens

53. WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
Not Sure When It Will Happen
• It benefits major manufacturers to tether
devices together
• Need a disruptive outsider (as Apple was with
the iPhone)
• Turns out Samsung is disruptive, even to
themselves, though we still have the
ecosystem limitation
@PhilipLikens

54. My Future?
Samsung Gear S
WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
@PhilipLikens

55. Jawbone Era
My Future? WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
@PhilipLikens

56. My Future? WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
Samsung Galaxy Note 3
@PhilipLikens

57. WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
Os Convergence
• Because of the non-native connectivity, I think
we’ll have an OS funnel
• Apple
• Google’s Android Wear
• Tizen
• MetaWatch
• Pebble
• 2-3 major platforms - my guess is Apple, Google,
Pebble (lo-fi / underground option)
@PhilipLikens

58. WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /
Other Thoughts On The Future
• Fashion Matters
• OS consolidation brings better UX
• Fitness bands largely disappear
• Connectivity has to resolve before mass
adoption
• Touch (only) is not the holy grail
@PhilipLikens

59. Thank You.
@PhilipLikens