Crafting a UX Strategy for Wearables and

the Mobile Mainframe@PhilipLikens

THE HEAD & THE HEART

@PhilipLikens

– Tony Brice on Mindful Living

“Among the things I’ve learned is that people are becoming much more keenly aware of

doing things they feel are unimportant at the expense of those that are more

important. A great example is our propensity to hit the ‘Unsubscribe’ links in unwanted

email messages as a more mindful approach to dealing with those ‘must have’ emails that

almost always go unread…”

@PhilipLikens

– Tony Brice on Mindful Living

“There are many other ways in which we’ve begun mindfully doing things different. They

range from a collection of relatively small day-to-day decisions to bigger ones like the types of trips we may be taking (a common theme

seems to be remote and unplugged).”

@PhilipLikens

Background• Decade and a half in Interactive Design / Dev • MFA @ SCAD in Interactive Design • Former Assoc. Prof / Assistant Director @ AiD • Created iHeartColor app • Founder of Crosstrain Camps • Currently Principal UX @ Sabre Labs

THE HEAD AND THE HEART /

Go Bees! Chewy wuz here… SJKJ!@#!9490u34jj3lcm @PhilipLikens

Getting Into Wearables• Started as a Fitbit lay person • Number of intense months with wearables • Some simple frameworks • “Ok Glass, Find a Flight” • More experiments coming

THE HEAD AND THE HEART /

@PhilipLikens

Trough Of Disillusionment

ME

Early Adopters

THE HEAD AND THE HEART /

Questions1.What is it? 2.What can it do? 3.Why does it matter? 4.Where do I start? 5.How do I design for it? 6.What does it mean for our profession? 7.Where are we headed?

@PhilipLikens

WHAT IS IT?

@PhilipLikens

Mobile MainframeThe 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).

WHAT IS IT? /

Psst… We are not in the age of the Internet of Things… It’s mostly the Internet of Thing… Namely, the Internet of Mobile Phone. @PhilipLikens

– Google IO 2014 Keynote

“…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…”

@PhilipLikens

WearablesMy focus is in body-borne devices with complex interfaces, visual displays, multiple use cases, ongoing connectivity, and some computational power.

Yes, I understand wearables could include T-Shirts or “Wearable Technology” could include analog spectacles

WHAT IS IT? /

@PhilipLikens

– Jeff Gothelf

“The reality is that there is no such thing as UX strategy. There is only product strategy.”

@PhilipLikens

UX StrategyI don’t know if I believe that Jeff. I think it’s kind of the bridge between Business and UX - the first step but it informs business as much as business informs it.

If only I could find someone else who feels the way I do.

WHAT IS IT? /

@PhilipLikens

– http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/43796/what-is-ux-strategy

"User Experience strategy is about taking the information about the user and information about the business and turning that into an approach for the User Experience. It overlaps with the role

of a good Business Analysis…”

@PhilipLikens

WHAT CAN IT DO?

@PhilipLikens

LogWHAT CAN IT DO? /

Nike Fuel Band

Notify

MetaWatch

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Communicate

Jawbone Icon

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Record

Google Glass

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Find

Pebble

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Consume

Bragi Dash

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Control

Samsung Gear

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Verify

Nymi

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Comfort

Cuff

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

Others

Mimu glove

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

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

@PhilipLikens

Drawbacks• Overwhelmed with notifications • Connectivity challenges • Fashion • More devices weighing me down

WHAT CAN IT DO? /

@PhilipLikens

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

@PhilipLikens

Adoption Rates Of TechWHY DOES IT MATTER? /

http://www.asymco.com/2013/11/18/seeing-whats-next-2/

– Google IO 2014

“Across the world, people check their Android phones an average of 125 times every day.”

@PhilipLikens

My TakeWearables are the emerging front-end for mobile design.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? /

Next embeddables? @PhilipLikens

WHERE DO I START?

@PhilipLikens

Google• Contextually Aware • Voice Enabled • Seamless • Mobile First

WHERE DO I START? /

Apple and Google seems to be diverging in their approaches. @PhilipLikens

– Jean-Claude Biver, Head of LVMH’s Luxury Watch Division

“Our sales director left yesterday because he took a contract from Apple to launch the

iWatch”

@PhilipLikens

Apple Speculation• Maybe early Fall? • Could be awesome? • Could use Today widgets as a jumping off point?

WHERE DO I START? /

@PhilipLikens

Pebble• Nov 2013 adopted a new SDK platform • Ready to go • Should be relevant for a while

WHERE DO I START? /

@PhilipLikens

Hold On Heads Up• As a consumer, don’t know what to do with it now

• Directions is the killer app • Need better use cases • Must get more fashionable • Must get more discrete • Industrial / Business path to adoption?

WHERE DO I START? /

@PhilipLikens

HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT?

@PhilipLikens

Map Information Needs• Helpful start • Make note of potential environment(s) • We used a Graffiti Board to gather ideas from within Sabre concerning Traveler Needs on the day of travelex. What information / tasks do you need access to when you’re sitting at your gate?

HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /

@PhilipLikens

NotificationsHOW 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?

HOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /

@PhilipLikens

Taking ActionHOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /

Taking ActionHOW DO I DESIGN FOR IT? /

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION?

@PhilipLikens

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.

• Are we as UXers glorified Graphic Designers or truly concerned with UX?

• We have to understand the UX of voice.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION? /

@PhilipLikens

Design With Context• Consider the environment • Leverage sensors • Be careful of speculation

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION? /

@PhilipLikens

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

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR OUR PROFESSION? /

@PhilipLikens

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

@PhilipLikens

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

WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /

@PhilipLikens

In Everyday Life voice/watch/phone/tablet/car/laptop

Kids: Commute: Walking: Desk: Meetings: Lunch: Evenings:

+ + + - - - +

+ + + + + + -

+ + + + + + +

- + - + + + +

- + - - - - -

- - - + + - +

WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /

@PhilipLikens

voice/watch/phone/tablet/car/laptop Train: Walking: Airport:

In Washington DC

- + -

+ + +

+ + +

+ - +

- - -

- - +

WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /

@PhilipLikens

Not Sure When It Will Happen• It benefits major manufacturers to tether devices together

• Need a disruptive outsider (as Apple was with the iPhone)

WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /

@PhilipLikens

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)

WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /

@PhilipLikens

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

WHERE ARE WE HEADED? /

@PhilipLikens

Thank You.@PhilipLikens