The app couture revolution (forget everything you know about designing apps)
Apple Watch is the first Apple product that is a fashion item, as well as a gadget. Fashion magazines, models and star designers are as much a part of this Apple product launch as tech pundits and reviewers.
In the past, Apple’s brand has been defined by advanced technologies and usability. Apple Watch is the first product positioned as a fashion statement — new territory for the company, which is reflected in the new communication style, sales process and slight impression of insecurity that has accompanied the launch.
This launch is a revolution for Apple — as well as for app developers.
1. Apple Watch is all about fashion — so are watch apps
When we flew out to Sunnyvale for the Apple Watchkit Lab, we spent a lot of time playing with the Watch face customization — it was one of our favorite features of the watch. Many early reviews have also emphasized that aspect of the watch:
“I still found time to change into my evening watch face: an animated butterfly that changes colors when you pull up the screen. I love that you can customize the colors and details of the watch faces”
The Watch face you choose becomes part of your personal fashion. The same is true of the apps you use on the watch.
Developers needs to think differently: a watch is not just about functionality (you don’t need an animated butterfly to help you tell the time), it’s a fashion statement. The fashion statement a watch app makes can be just as important as its functionality.
Gadgets and hardware accessories have already made the transition from functional items to fashion objects — Beats headphones are a great example of this and our own tizi gadgets (launching in the US this week), have proven to be most successful due to their distinctive, stylish design.
Now it’s time for apps to make the shift.
2. Graphics are back
The design shift that began with iOS 7 caused a lot of apps to adopt very functional UIs. Graphics were de-emphasized and entire art departments were laid off ;)
Apple Watch apps can take advantage of the extremely dense, high contrast screen to create a personal connection with users. Purely typography-based UIs will get old quickly and watches have always been defined by small design details.
3. More than just notifications
A lot of third party watch apps focus on notifications. That’s going to get old real fast.
App developers need to find short, quick interactions that are more than just intrusions. Think of utilities and tasks that your app can help users to accomplish and then look at how you can make them part of a users’s fashion atheistic.
A calculator is a typical small, everyday utility that is ideal for expressing personal style and fashion preferences.
4. Customization is king:
Your calculator, your style
We’ve built our first new app using the idea of focusing on fashion and design: tizi Calc is a calculator for Apple Watch that can be customized to match a user’s personal style and fashion sense.
The app comes with 20 distinctive designs, many of which offer color or material options to match your Watch and band combination. These include:
- Tokyo, an homage to calculator watches of the 80s
- Milano, a luxurious look, designed to match the Milanese Loop strap
- Amsterdam, which features an attractive animating flower
Each of the designs has been coordinated to complement watch and strap combinations.
The companion app for iPhone includes a working preview, allowing users to mix and match color and designs. The preview is fully functional and original size on the iPhone 6, so you can start picking your style and trying out tizi Calc while you’re waiting for your Watch pre-order to arrive.
The future for app designers
So what does this mean for app designers? Customization options and style affordances will be more important here than on the iPhone. Developers need to start thinking about their app in the context of a fashion choice and not just as a tool for a task. And: The graphic designer is back in da house!
tizi Calc is available free on the App store. For more details, visit http://tizi.watch.
About tizi
tizi stands for smart gadgets for mobile users, comprising of solutions for mobile TV, video, power, and sound. tizi Products are exclusively available online at www.tizi.tv and Amazon.
About equinux
We’re a two-time Apple Design Award Winner and make apps and gadgets for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch. Our tizi range of accessories is launching in the US this week.
