Infusion#2: A Time to Stand!
My first indicator that the Apple Watch was not using enough data points to make it even remotely contextually aware occurred while I was urinating. To be fair to the watch, I’m not sure exactly what data point it would have used to know I was urinating. Audio detection, maybe? Certainly that sound has a particular frequency. The “yellow note.” Whoops, I’ve gone off on a tangent here.
The trademark “ding!” totally threw off my state of flow. I partially craned my neck and slightly turned my hand so as not to make a mess. I glanced at the slightly angled face, and found it boldly alerting me that I had achieved my standing goal for the day. I’d only been standing for a minute; it really wasn’t that epic of a pee session. But if I’m being honest, I felt a little proud that I had stumbled into this very important achievement. I kept standing, probably a little longer than biology necessitated.
There’s a lot to be said (and a lot of good things being said) about the increasing role that context plays in the design of digital experiences. During my second infusion session today, I received the pictured alert telling me it was “Time to Stand!” and walk around for a minute. I obviously could not do that at the time. I mean, I guess I could have, but it would have been awkward or inappropriate as I was just getting situated with an intravenous drip of medication.
There isn’t a sound frequency for an “IV note.” There’s also no way to manually set the watch to remind me not to stand for a period of time, other than turning off alerts entirely or possibly futzing with settings for the activity application. But if I follow this through to various logical conclusions, I can imagine several situations where I might not be able to stand up, and might even have my feelings hurt by a reminder that I can’t.
This little example is where the possibilities of the internet of things becomes more interesting but also more challenging. Putting aside the challenging (HIPPA law, for starters) for a moment, it wouldn’t be that hard to add a radio frequency identification chip to any medical equipment that informs a watch’s wearer of its mere presence. Not necessarily what it’s dispensing (chip on the bag, perhaps?) or to whom it’s dispensing it, but just how nearby it is. Based on that proximity (close) and duration (longer than five minutes or so), the watch could deduce “oh, you’re probably in a medical facility receiving an infusion, so I’ll suspend reminders for physical activity at least until you are no longer near this device for five minutes.”
I realize the Apple Watch is a luxury and it’s very early in it’s development. But suspending alerts related to physical activity during the infusion of medication would be pretty cool, especially for people who have to get more regular and more serious types of infusions, such as cancer patients.
And also when I pee. There’s no need to alert me to my standing status at that point, watch.
