Designed for smart Glasses

Today, wearable smart devices are getting more and more attention, but the spotlight is still dominated by smart watches. Other types of devices, such as smart glasses from Google and Sony, are not currently in the mainstream, only in their prototype testing phase, but it can be expected that after a long time, we will see the formal entry of smart glasses into the commercial and consumer markets. As a mobile designer, should we consider the application design of smart glasses?

We discussed this topic with three designers, and their respective design teams have begun to study the application design of smart glasses. In this article, they will talk about their vision of the future of smart glasses and the new opportunities they will face as designers.

is

smart glasses going to pop?

Matt Pollitt, the design director of the design agency "5K", is currently designing a navigational application for smart glasses. In his view, smart glasses will eventually become the mainstream equipment, and rewrite the industry has been the rules of the game.

Matt said: "Smart glasses will not only exist as an adjunct to existing equipment, but it would eventually become an extension of people's senses." New markets for wearable smart devices and related applications are about to open, and we're excited to think of that! ”

For a while, one of the key factors hindering smart glasses becoming a mainstream device is their shape. Matt is optimistic: "As with the development of other mobile devices, the shape of smart glasses will become more sophisticated and sophisticated." "For now, we feel that the biggest hurdle it has encountered on the way to the mainstream is as a smart device that still seems too abrupt on people's faces." ”

"Today's smart glasses look really cool and technical, but I feel overwhelmed by the thought of having to wear them for more than 10-16 hours a day." Matt said, "Once the barriers are cleared, and the HUD is integrated into the device in a smoother and friendlier way, smart glasses can naturally receive a greater level of attention and popularity." ”

Race yourself is a health application designed for Google glasses. Their Coo,richard Goodrum also believe that smart glasses will become a mainstream device in the long run. "Smart glasses have not yet been able to embark on the big stage. But given the speed of technology and the push that many companies are making, I'm not sure how long smart glasses can shine. ”

"We anticipate that smart glasses will first find a breakthrough in engineering, surgery, scientific experimentation, and so on, and then become popular among people," he said. "It will take some time to get smart glasses into social mores and reach their tipping point," said James Deakin, technical director of Fjord, a service design firm. ”

"Today, the role of smart glasses is more like a satellite notification center for smartphones. Whether in the industrial or consumer sectors, unless we really see the ability to help us solve everyday problems on such devices, it's hard to really accept it. ”

If all the optimistic assumptions are correct, that is, in the near future, smart glasses will be widely spread, so designers and developers should be the application of smart glasses in the design of the various possibilities began to study it?

Both Richard and Matt think we should start working on the relevant research.

"For smart glasses and their applications, this is a very exciting time," Matt says. "The challenge for smart glasses is brand new, because it's so different from any smart device we're familiar with." ”

What is the best application for smart glasses?

"The way people interact with information will change because of new technologies, and it's wonderful to explore these new technologies," said Matt, "and you can push the boundaries of probabilities even further in the face of new design challenges." Designers should focus more on the role and service of new technologies than on technology itself. Smart glasses and HUD are really exciting, but they're still just platforms, and we should focus on the unique experience patterns that these platforms can bring to people in specific environments and use situations. ”

"We still have to focus on the applications on the platform and focus on the real value that these applications bring to the end user," added Richard. For example, when using Google glasses, I especially like navigation and cooking applications. Because in these two kinds of situations, it is very important to liberate the hands, I do not want to drive and cook while also must look down the phone. ”

James also agreed to start the design of smart glasses as early as possible, but he also believes that the future is uncertain and that it will take time to understand which types of applications will be successful.

"Many designers and developers have started to think about and develop applications for smart glasses, but I'm not quite sure whether they will bring the desired revenue," says James. "Smart glasses are far from penetration, and it's not easy to predict exactly what users need and how to use them." ”

But James agrees that smart glasses do offer designers a great opportunity to explore the integration of HUD and voice control. "It's exciting to study the possibilities of smart glasses and their new interactive patterns," he said. ”

Many different types of applications can be well applied to smart glasses. So far, we've seen a wide range of maps, games, video shoots, health, home automation, and diet cooking.

"We think sports and health are important areas," says Richard, "both amateurs and professional athletes, who are users of healthy sports applications, but in reality they are likely to lack the necessary motivation." We want to change this by using the instant visual feedback patterns that smart glasses can bring. ”

"The scope of the possibilities is very broad," said Matt, "and there are many ways that we can try to achieve the interactive experience of liberating our hands." Among them, speech control is an important way to integrate reality and virtual world seamlessly. ”

Smart glasses also bring a lot of limitations, making application design and development face special challenges.

"The most obvious problem is the battery," said Richard, "for example, the power of Google glasses can only last a day in a prudent way, but the consumption of electricity will be much more than that to truly reflect use value." ”

designed for speech control

Matt thinks the biggest challenge is the way people interact with smart glasses in actual use. "Google chooses voice control, but in many contexts the voice is not only inappropriate, but sometimes even rude." To make new technology equipment widely accepted, cultural acceptability is an important factor. On the train, no one wants to sit next to a madman who is muttering to himself and banging his head. "Think about how many years have passed before we get used to people who are wearing headsets, and it's going to take longer to get used to people talking to glasses."

James also noted the challenges of battery life and voice interaction; To create successful smart glasses applications, these aspects of the problem must be addressed first. "Given the importance of voice control on smart glasses, designers and developers must take into account the various situations that may arise, such as the problems of different languages and dialects, and know that voice is almost the only way to control this type of device." ”

Security and data protection are also issues that need to be focused on in the design and development process.

In Richard's view, the battery and CPU performance of smart glasses will continue to improve, so the problem of power and handling capacity is finally resolved. Matt also believes that the problem of voice control can be achieved by simplifying the necessary interactions, and that the combination of AI, situational analysis and smartphones can also complement the limitations of smart glasses in terms of input.

How to design smart glasses application

When the actual design of smart glasses applications, the situation will become complex, and the reason is not limited to the various limitations and challenges mentioned earlier.

Based on his experience in designing Vela navigation applications, Matt tells us: "It's important to find strong design concepts and use cases." Smart glasses usually involve a lot of attention from users, so it's important to be aware of this when designing applications. Based on your product type, it is important to figure out which typical scenarios users will use your application. Sports applications, for example, often require more active user participation, while some other types of applications are relatively ' negative ' and require voice control from time to time. ”

"There is a big gap between designing the UI in front of the computer and using the UI on the actual HUD, making prototypes, testing more on the device, and iterating quickly, which is a good way to narrow the distance between design and actual use." "Matt added," at least at the moment, the interactive design pattern on smart glasses still lacks uniform standards and conventions, so the design concept must be polished for specific devices. Also consider the connections that can be created between smart glasses and other smart devices that a user might have, such as smartphones, watches, or tablets, and consider how to make the best use of these devices to help users achieve their goals, based on the actual conditions of their products. ”

"The application of smart glasses, from the perspective of development technology and other devices on the application is not very different," James added, "However, in the interactive design, the difference is huge, it needs a new set of design paradigm." There are many things that we have not been exposed to before, such as bone-sound technology. ”

"As time goes on, we are bound to see the design and development patterns of smart glasses becoming more mature and unified, as we have seen on other smart devices." ”

"We are building a cross-platform health application that can be used in conjunction with smartphones and wearable devices," says Richard Race yourself. The Games and challenges that we offer can encourage runners to get their best grades by interacting with friends, celebrities, and even zombies through their own 3D avatars to drive them to their goals. With smart glasses, this app will provide users with the most immediate virtual interactive environment to help them complete their exercises. ”

At the same time, Matt's application, VELA, is designed for seafaring enthusiasts. The app connects the user's tablet with recon jet smart glasses into a complete biosphere for users to use on roads and water. Users can plan, share, and sync their own sailing schedules on a tablet computer, and the navigational instant messages recorded by Recon Jet can also be accessed on a tablet computer.

"The reason we chose Recon jet as our smart glasses platform is because it is designed for specific use cases, that is, physical behavior." Matt says, "It focuses on specific user goals, not the usual social interaction patterns, and the experience is highly focused." ”

"The combination of a waterproof Sony Xperia tablet is perfect. However, not all of these devices are in themselves, "Matt added," which expands the entire Vela community biosphere, allowing users to share photos taken by their spectacles during the voyage, and instant weather and sea-level information will also appear on the HUD Allows users to view important data at any time while sailing without taking up both hands. ”

About Face 3 interactive design essence

This book systematically describes the interaction design process, principles and methods. The book is divided into 3 articles, describing the "goal-oriented design", interactive design principles and specific interface design principles, to help you design more attractive and more competitive products ...

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Original site to compile the article. If you want to reprint, please specify: This article from the is for Web English original: http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/interactive-design/design-... Translator Information:  c7210 -UX player, interactive designer, Cat Slave, guitar fucker, now working in Tencent Isux (Shanghai)