Smartwatch apps don’t have to mirror the functionality of their phone and tablet counterparts to be useful. In fact, apps that try to do it all on a miniscule device with limited input mechanisms end up cluttered, frustrating, and forgotten. Unfortunately for brands, user expectations don’t automatically align with device constraints. When we partnered with (Read More...)
Pop Quiz: Which of the following is best for extended content consumption? A) Tablet B) Newspaper C) Smartwatch If you chose ‘C,’ you’re absolutely incorr— PARDON THE INTERRUPTION. To continue reading, please switch to another device. Jarring, right? Downright annoying, actually. Smartwatch users hate mid-task interruptions, too, as we learned during our research partnership with (Read More...)
How do smartwatch owners use their smartwatches? What are prospective buyers’ expectations? And how much value do these relatively new devices actually deliver? Last week I partnered with AnswerLab CEO Amy Buckner Chowdhry to present a webinar highlighting findings of our recent research into how well smartwatches live up to the hype. Below, I share (Read More...)
When we investigated the current state of the smartwatch experience together with AnswerLab, we saw a massive disconnect between what study participants wanted from their wearable gadgets and the reality of how they used them. Regardless of watch platform or length of ownership, watch wearers in our study used them primarily as notification engines. But (Read More...)
Newsflash: Smartwatches are tiny. They’re working with about 1/5th the screen real estate of a smartphone, and tablets are downright gargantuan by comparison. Seem obvious? When we partnered with AnswerLab to study the current state of the smartwatch experience, we realized it wasn’t. It wasn’t obvious to brands whose apps failed to account for the (Read More...)
Despite their tiny size, smartwatches have big shoes to fill. They evoke Dick Tracy’s video watch, Ethan Hunt’s myriad wearable tech, and Q’s parade of futuristic gadgets that 007 inevitably destroys. These fictional contraptions recognize their owners and their owners’ needs, powering up exactly when required with critical information or the means to escape a (Read More...)
What’s the value of a smartwatch? What do consumers expect from these multitasking wearable devices? And how can brands take advantage of this tiny addition to the device ecosystem? To uncover the answers to these questions, Kerry Bodine & Co. partnered with our friends at the user experience research and testing firm AnswerLab. We’re thrilled (Read More...)
If you’re in the market for computers you can strap to your body, you’ve come to the right future. You can control your PowerPoint presentations by waving your arms, track your vertical drop as you hit the slopes, and keep track of what Fido is up to while you’re at work. Want to take your workouts (Read More...)