How the Moto 360 got its striking design (watch the Hangout here)
Yesterday, the Moto 360 won the day because of its striking design. Even though today we are hearing that design may be causing production issues, it is still a design worth talking about. This is actually kind of odd, because Motorola did the one thing that no one quite expected when it came to smartwatches: don't design it to be a smartwatch, design it to look like a watch. That idea alone is unique.
In a few minutes, the lead designer of the Moto 360 team, Jim Wicks, will be hosting a Google+ Hangout to discuss the ideas that went into the design of the Moto 360. But, The Verge has just posted an interview with Wicks that covers what are likely to be similar topics that will be discussed in the Hangout. So, if you don't have time to watch the Hangout, we'll give you the breakdown here.
According to Wicks, Motorola went through two rounds of design and various prototypes before coming across an important idea, which is that the company had "to really embrace what this space is all about", and aim for design that was familiar to those who use watches on a daily basis. A watch is a fashion statement, and good design practices in the space are well established. Wicks and his team wanted to be able to show the Moto 360 to experts in the industry and get the response, "Yep, that's a watch"; and, show it to consumers and have those people feel that the device fit what was "both emotionally and culturally familiar" about a watch.
Beyond that, the idea was followed along in how people used watches, which Wicks says is counter-intuitive. Watches may tell time, but people don't use them to see what time it is, they are used as reference for what needs to be done in the future and how much time is left before that event. This means that sometimes you need to see the time, but other times you need to see something else that is more important; and that's where Android Wear comes in, because it can give you directions, weather, upcoming events, messaging notifications, and plenty more. According to Wicks, Motorola was already aiming for this sort of functionality when Google came around with Android Wear (because remember, the two companies are run independently from each other, so Motorola didn't get any inside track.)
Also, there was the interesting idea of shifting Touchless Controls to a watch. Wicks describes it amusingly, saying that we have always spoked to our watches, but the comments were usually something like "oh shit I’m late", which will now be translated to "navigate home" with Android Wear.
The Google+ Hangout should be starting any minute. If you want to watch the Hangout, just head here or watch below. We also have a recap of the most important bits of info here.
source: The Verge
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