Redesign of the Fossil Q Smartwatch app that launched in October of 2017. The team identified opportunities missed by the previous app, established guiding design principles informed by brand and product requirements, and delivered a refreshing software update while moving upstream.
What was the
Problem
Evolving products on a rigid platform.
In 2015, Fossil Group saw that traditional watch sales were in rapid decline. There was an opportunity to give watches new life by integrating smart technology. This led to the birth of the hybrid smartwatch. Fossil partnered with with an external agency for the first generation of products and UI design for the companion app. But the app framework couldn’t adapt and support the evolving product line of hybrid watches.
What was the
Solution
A foundation for the future.
By 2016, the wearable market was continuing to change with the increased adoption of full display smartwatches. Fossil Group wanted to create a new utility app with a strong foundation to support new wearable technologies. Our solution created a more wholesome customer experience. It also offered customizable design system components for the brand team, which also cut down on design and development time.
Meet
Our Team
My main compadres were Josh Lee—who worked alongside me to create, test, and document the UX—and Marie Libres—who inherited the framework to design, iterate, and apply the UI.
Perry (Me)
UX Designer
Josh L.
UX Designer
Marie L.
UI Designer
What was our
Process
For the new design we implemented a new process. We conducted user testing, and identified challenges and desired outcomes to launch with.
Project Goals
- Enhance user experience of an inherited app design based on user testing.
- Create a channel for revenue through data-driven testing, implementation, and execution.
- Create an opportunity for brand-to-consumer engagement.
- Focusing on simple design implementations to reduce the learning curve of the hybrid smartwatch.
Steps We Took
After gathering data and insights from relevant stakeholders, the team began brainstorming. We designed from scratch and tested our ideas to create a proven, well–informed design. We followed a set of guiding principles:
- The team worked with our product manager to gather data and insight from internal and brand stakeholders. We coupled that information with competitive research.
- Then Josh and I began to wireframe solutions on paper, iterating several times until before gaining approval by the product owner. We used the approved wireframes and initial product requirements to construct digital prototypes for user testing.
- After validating the design, we created UX documentation with detailed user flows and other specifications of how the experience should work, so that all collaborators and stakeholders had a reference that served single source of truth for the vetted and approved design. The UX was handed off to Marie to apply branding.
- When the UI was complete, Josh, Marie, and I repackaged the documentation and generated assets to handoff to the development team. We flew to Vietnam to work with our developers side-by-side to ensure a smooth initial handoff and walkthrough of documents. When we returned, we helped troubleshoot any UX flaws created by the UI or development interpretations of the mockups.
The Impact On Fossil
The Fossil Q project was a synergy among design, software, and firmware teams. The endeavor brought technology and fashion together for the everyday user. The redesign positioned the brand to be more adaptable, scalable, and modular. It opened up the framework for more customization and flexibility with business initiatives.
The Impact On Users
The redesign solved complex onboarding scenarios, and made signing up or logging in more efficient. We were able to reduce the amount of screens by 75% during the onboarding process.
Plus there’s an entire Reddit sub dedicated to hybrid smartwatches, which has to count for something 🤷🏽♂️.
mayobrains
May 30, 2019
I’ve never loved a watch so much. Never going to miss an important beat again — sooooo easy to set up and use. Could not be simpler, or more elegant.
Dabarnmc
Jun 16, 2017
This is a fairly decent little app. . .I actually like this Watch and app interface better than the Apple Watch I had. Less techs but I feel better overall feature set. . .This app and Watch work great with my IPhone 6s just in case you were wondering about compatibility issues. Hope i helped someone out with this review and have a good day.
Introducing the
Final Product
We launched a new Fossil Q app in the fall of 2017, bringing a new branded experience to customers.
01 | Brandable Moments
The team worked with 14 brands to create utility apps for their hybrid smartwatches. Each app had the same functionality, but offered unique branded experiences. We carved out areas of the app for brands to customize without risking usability. One of those areas was the home screen for housing information about user’s devices. By optimizing this screen to offer a high level of customization brands could connect with users in a way that was meaningful to them.
02 | Shortcuts
In early 2017 we opened up hybrid smartwatches to users to change the button assignments. But users found it hard to remember button assignments and the feature was a tap-too-far away.
For the new Fossil Q, we designed the home screen so that when a user launched the app they’d be reminded of their button assignment. User testing revealed it might become annoying and we needed to be cautious. The hope was that habitual use and recognition would help users assimilate the product into their daily routines.
03 | Better Notifications
The original design for Notifications was confusing and cumbersome. We challenged the old way of thinking and asked questions like:
- Are users assigning numbers to users or users to numbers?
- Should we limit how many notifications users can set to reduce self-imposed complexity or allow it to be limitless?
- Should we reserve important numbers for consistent operations (i.e. Texts always point hands to 12 on the watch face)?
- Are notifications better understood when the app experience mirrors the hardware functionality?
We conducted A/B and user testing to inform solutions to these challenges. Testing revealed we needed to give users two paths to achieve the same outcome.
We were also able to conclude that 75% of users would assign contacts using the numbers 1-4 on their dial. The Notifications landing screen reflects this top-use for ease of access for configuration.
04 | All-purpose Onboarding
The last area major area that we spent time on was the onboarding experience. Our new app would be launching around the holiday season, so we anticipated an influx in users. We wanted to provide tour points for critical elements of the app. We also left room for discoverable opportunities that brought users delight. The solution was to give users a way to explore the app and learn about the benefits of having a Hybrid Smartwatch. This also helped users understand the purpose of the app, which was an issue with prior versions. Users would download and abandon the app in frustration because they didn’t know know the app required a smartwatch.
My lessons
Learned
How I continue to grow as a designer and a person.
Balancing Brand and Business
Many teams we worked with held their respective brands in high regard. They wanted equal or more influence over the app direction than other brands. We had to carefully weigh the the business goals of Fossil Group against each brand’s perspectives and value. This enabled us to identify areas of the app that could be customized without compromising the integrity of the experience.
