January 13, 2025
Smartwatch Design for Messenger App
Practice your interaction design skills and design experience optimized for smartwatches.
UPDATE!!!! Grayscale plugin for figma! Will be helpful when designing for accessibility!
Design Scenario
You’re a UX/UI designer at a startup developing a messenger app. Your team decided to increase market share by developing a smartwatch version.
Design Task
Your design task is to complete the following:
- Select the type of a platform for your design.
- Create a design or prototype of a messenger app optimized for smartwatches.
- Ensure the app is accessible, including for people with motor or visual disabilities.
- Explain the rationale behind your smartwatch design.
- Use the provided smartwatch templates to showcase your designs.
- Bonus points for making your project submission interactive.
Evaluation criteria
Your project will be evaluated using the following criteria:
- Usability — Can users perform tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience?
- Accessibility — Does the design comply with the WCAG’s requirements and is accessible to all users? Is the design inclusive to all users regardless of their background, race, age, gender, and ethnicity?
- Visual design — Do designs effectively engage the user through strategic use of color, typography, and imagery?
- Presentation — How effectively is the work presented, including the templates provided, the formatting of the copy, the links shared, and the explanation of the design rationale?
Modern messaging app for Apple watch
Source: The best way to learn UX/UI design. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://app.uxcel.com/showcase/modern-messaging-app-for-apple-watch-518
I designed key screens for the smartwatch messenger application, including the contact list, messages, and dictate message screens.
For the theme, they chose a dark color scheme to complement the watch’s black bezels, creating a cohesive and visually appealing interface. The colors are inspired by the standard Apple theme, ensuring familiarity and ease of use for users.
They focused primarily on voice dictation for message input, believing it to be significantly easier and more efficient than typing on a smartwatch. This approach enhances the user experience by leveraging the natural convenience of voice commands in a compact and wearable device.
