Design a Skype app for Samsung Gear 2 including latest changes that will be coming out in the new Skype app.
Opening the app
Left – Right sliding motion switches between Missed notifications list and a full list of contacts
Design considerations for smart watch
Despite screen estate being small, the resolution is high and it is possible to have a pretty much cloned mobile app on the watch if you decide to.
Usage habits
User research of communication apps highlighted that most people use it as a notification device for incoming call or incoming communication from the apps they always use on the phone(i.e. Skype, WhatsApp…) because that’s the messages they don’t want to miss. For example, when in a noisy environment, people miss calls and texts. Some users check their phones every 10 min or so (they are not edge cases, for example I do it because I have a son at school and I have to be reachable). They don’t really use it for anything else communication wise. People receive a notification and then either ignore it or continue on their phones.
Some use case examples
Help user make a decision about importance of the text message by showing the preview of the message. If it is important, user will continue on the phone. If it is not important you can dismiss, but maybe you just want to tell the other side know that you saw it.
Quick reply
User has an option of pre-set replies to send to acknowledge the message and send a quick confirmation to the sender.
I can not show the exact text of the quick replies that was identified with the users, but here is an example.
When a call comes in, user can answer it, redirect it to the phone or dismiss it. What I decided to add is a quick reply screen when user dismisses an incoming call.
Voice to text
Even though this fights with my previous statement about quick replies, it is important It is important to push the boundaries and offer users alternatives. Voice to text could bring a strong alternative to the keyboard on a smart watch screen. Possibly, change user behavior pattern. Cortana (by Microsoft) and Google have made it an exciting alternative to the keyboard.
So, I replaced the keyboard for text entry with Voice to text option. This needs to be tested.
