Now that I have almost finished with the design of my mobile app for “Panda Connect”, I decided to design some screens for a smartwatch.
The reason I thought this would be beneficial to go alongside this app is that the users will likely want to use it on the move. These users will likely want to check for updates or information while in the forest trying to locate a panda. In these scenarios, it would be easier for them to check essential information on a watch, rather than checking their phone every time. The smartwatch app would only have essential screens such as the map, directions, and alerts. The other screens such as the profile wouldn’t be necessary to them in these situations. Instead, they can access these on the mobile app.
Home
I kept the home screen as simple as possible. I didn’t include the “Add new panda” button as it won’t be necessary for users on the move. Instead, they can do tasks like this on the main mobile app. This leaves more room for the other buttons. I made the buttons quite big so they are easier to click. This is essential when working with a smaller screen.
Map
The map is clean and simple and does its job. It still has the scroll effect so users can move the map around for a better idea of where the panda is located and to check for other pandas nearby. You may notice that there is no navigation at the bottom. This is because the user would navigate through this by swiping through the screens which is what a lot of smartwatch apps do. This saves space on the small screen for more important information.
Directions
This screen tells the user how long it will take to get to the panda. It also shows how long they will have to drive, followed by how long they will have to walk. Once the user presses start, they will get clear directions of where to go. Having this on the smartwatch will make it very quick and easy to ensure they are going the right way. Again, the button is quite big to make it easy to click on.
Alert
This screen is very simple and minimalistic. This is because the information here is very important so there should be no distractions and it should be easy to find. The text is quite big to make it easy to read and the use of red makes important information stand out. The alerts are one of the most important parts of this app so it is essential to be able to access this quickly and have access to it at all times.
When the user receives an alert, it would be beneficial for the smartwatch to vibrate and bring up this screen. This way, if they receive an alert, they will be aware of it immediately, even if they don’t have their phone near them.
I enjoyed adding this extra aspect to my project. As I have said, I think this would be hugely beneficial to the users to have this alongside the mobile app. It would make life easier as they could access things from here quicker when on the move.