Significant Glances: Meaningful Interaction on the Wrist

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New interfaces need new interactions, and we’ve never had quite as vexing an interface as the smartwatch. Undersized and underpowered, these devices carry much of the overhead of a phone but deliver only a fraction of the value. How can designers create meaningful experiences that deliver more value than pain? Forget everything you know about mobile, and dig deep on what makes the watch (and the wrist) uniquely useful as a point of interaction.

In this talk, Josh talks about why engagement is the wrong focus for the watch, which should instead be used to absorb the simple tasks (notifications, time, activity tracking) from more complex devices (the phone). Learn to design for nano-tasks of five seconds or less; understand complications as the purest distillation of your app; and optimize for immediacy more than urgency.