Design Research
WatchOS Design
UI Design
Design Challenge
For this project, we designed a task execution on a smart watch platform with the primary focus on microinteractions. After selecting a task facilitated by a smart watch, the prototype was to be designed on Figma and must comply with watchOS design guidelines.
My Role
Year
Research
UI Design
Prototyping
Spring 2023
Length
3 weeks
Problem
While analyzing different tasks available in a smart watch,
I realized there was no straight forward way to quickly pull up
a contact’s information card. Wether to make a phone call, or send a text, the steps to do so were long and often frustrating.
Introducing a new microinteraction that allows you to search for contacts while in the Contacts app using a search bar, instead of scrolling through the entire catalog.
The task I chose (searching through contacts) is not currently supported through the watchOS Contacts app. This would be a new featured microinteraction.
Solution
I started my research by aquatinting myself with an Apple Watch and its capabilities. I had an old watch I hadn’t used in years and decided to bring it back to life for this project. Once set up, tested out some of the features, including making a phone call. Unfortunately, I hadn't made a phone call to the contact I wanted to reach in a while and this meant it was not showing up on my recent call log. This led me to the Contacts app, where I was met with another frustration: although the catalog looks alphabetized, the letter selection from which the contact’s are categorized seems to be arbitrary. Which meant that when I searched my desired contact in the “F” section, assuming it would be there since their contact name started with that letter, the contact was nowhere to be found.
Research & Observations
Key Insights
1) Categorization of contacts in the catalog seems arbitrary, making it difficult to locate specific contacts.
2. Currently, the only way to search for contacts in the Contacts app is by scrolling through the entire catalog.
3. The Apple Watch does support search bars in other apps, such as the AppStore.
I began sketching the current user flow for the contacts app interface to see possible points to add the new microinteraction. While swiping down on the original view in the watch, the option to add a new contact appears, I thought this would be a good place to also offer a search bar. Another possibility was to add a search icon to the contacts list by the first category letter. Ultimately I decided to go with the search bar option as it had an easier and direct access point for the user. Next, I began ideating how this new flow would look like, taking inspiration from the “Search” flow in the AppStore App.
Wireframe Sketches
Initial flow, possible integration and color study.
New microinteraction “search flow” study.
Final Digital Product Experience
REFLECTION
In the future, I would like to conduct user research to gain feedback on my prototype to determine whether or not users would find this new feature useful, and if the UI design is successful. One key takeaway I have after finishing this prototype is how much more time consuming it can be to design a new interaction that is not currently supported on the device. I was able to use design resources such as Figma and Apple’s watchOS design guidelines to find some of the assets I needed, but most of them I had to create from scratch, the contacts app doesn’t seem to be a popular interface among designers. This project pushed my design abilities as I learned how to create assets, program animations, and follow strict design guidelines, while creating a new feature.