What the heck is “Wearable Computing”?

Basically, the term “wearable computing” refers to small devices worn on the body that display information to you when you need it the most. That currently includes a wide range from specialized tools like fitness trackers (think FitBit) to smart watches (think Pebble / Moto360) to the now-famous but just-discontinued Google Glass.

So, is it just another glass screen?

Well, yes and no. In many cases, it is another glass screen, but one with significantly smaller real-estate.

You can’t design for a 1-inch or 2-inch screen by keeping the existing UI and making things smaller. You need to think about the context in which the device will be used, and design accordingly. And, that means a fundamental re-think of the User Experience, as it were.

Let’s get better acquainted with AndroidWear…

AndroidWear is a good place to begin understanding the wearable platform. As the website reports, “Android Wear extends the Android platform to a new generation of devices, with a user experience designed specifically for wearables”.

In essence, it is a simple, glanceable UI that is context-aware.

Key elements of its User Interface include:

• Cards – To display useful and timely content
• Pages – Supplementary information displayed on additional cards
• Action buttons – To take action on a notification, or offer limited control for apps
• Selection list – List of items / choices to select from

Tell me more!

According to Google, “The Android Wear UI consists of two main spaces centered around the core functions of Suggest and Demand.”

Suggest works like GoogleNow, offering information in the form of cards that can be swiped to reveal more or dismiss them.

Demand launches on the command: “OK, Google”, and can be used to perform a variety of tasks on demand. e.g. Set reminders, perform search, etc.

Depending on your device of choice, you can also explore additional functions like choosing new watch faces for your smart watch, using a low-battery Ambient mode, and initiating actions that get completed using your phone (i.e. companion device).

Is that all?

Well, in many ways, we’re merely scratching the surface of this platform. The upcoming Lollipop version of Android will have far more exciting features in store for your wearables.

The good news for developers is that many of the core functions are already built into the Android platform, so that no additional code is necessary to push notifications from apps to wearables. Using advanced features will, however, require some code.

For customers, the promise is that a well-designed wearable device will allow you to get to the information that matters most, with minimum interaction time, resulting in precious minutes being saved.

What you do with those minutes, though, is entirely up to you…