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Designers mock up Apple Watch versions of popular iOS applications

unity_thinkapps_messenger

Facebook Messenger

Thinkapps’ Build Blog has published a few designer mockups showing what popular third-party applications might look like on Apple’s new smartwatch with some interesting results. The apps were created by several different designers, and you can see that each app maintains some of the branding and design you’d expect while conforming to the smaller wearable UI and its new input devices like the Digital Crown.

Above you’ll find the design for Facebook Messenger, which features a contact view made up of circular contact photos with online indicators that closely resembles the watch’s home screen. The message view sports a single reply button that presumably uses the device’s built-in dictation capability to compose a response.

Below you’ll find designs for apps like Beats Music, Skype, Uber, YouTube, and more. Keep in mind that these designs are hardly official, but represent the types of user interfaces you might see when the folks in Cupertino release the Apple Watch early next year.

beatsmusic

The theorized watch version of the Apple-owned Beats Music maintains the same “Now Playing” screen design and the round genre bubbles that define the iOS version. The circular design language actually fits in fairly well on the Apple Watch without much coercion, since most of that UI also relies on circles.

skype

The Skype design uses similar incoming call controls to those of the iPhone, with round accept and decline buttons matching their smartphone counterparts almost exactly. Circles are present throughout the UI, as is the case with most Apple Watch designs. Incoming text messages can be replied to using a series of canned responses or through dictation, just like native SMS and iMessages.

yelp

The bite-sized version of Yelp forgoes the popular circular interface elements for something packed a bit more densely with information. Native dictation and map views are combined with an overview that provides quick access to a venue’s phone number, location, rating, hours, and more.

Two different designs were published for the Tinder app. The first uses circles for photos and positions controls in the corners of the screen like some of the stock watchfaces. The app’s signature swiping mechanic is left intact, and the messaging system uses a combination of built-in replies and dictation like the native text messaging solution.

The second design takes a different approach to some elements. While swiping is present, most other controls are relegated to a Control Center-like menu that slides up from the bottom and presents options for using a “doodle” feature that functions like the built-in feature of the same name.

AppleWatch_YTanimation

The YouTube design uses a grid of circular thumbnails, which unfortunately may not be the best shape for a video. Tapping a video on this grid brings up the player, which sports YouTube’s usual red play button and progress bar as well as the view counter and controls for liking or disliking a video, or changing the volume. It seems unlikely that users would want to watch a significant number of YouTube videos on such a small screen, though it could be used for casual viewing.

spotify

The Apple Watch mockup of Beats competitor Spotify uses a similar design for its Now Playing screen, but the similarities end there. Instead of a cluster of genres to choose from, the Spotify app makes use of a full list of artists which doesn’t display as well on the small screen and likely makes a difficult tap target. A much more convenient grid of album artwork is also present, which seems like a more appropriate design for a watch.

uber

The Uber watch app mockups blends in well with the OS even though it maintains much of its own design. Circular displays for search progress, driver photos, and other elements fit in nicely, and the screen is uncluttered for the most part. Users can dictate a location and see driver ratings and car info from their wrist, then call a the driver directly from overview.

lyft

The Lyft car service also got mocked up by Thinkapps’ designers, though it features a less refined inerface than the Uber version. Most of the screen consist of large square images that can presumably be swiped to move to the next one. A single “request Lyft” screen proides a quick look at your car, driver, and destination.

moves

Not much had to be changed to make the Moves app fit in on the Apple Watch. The iPhone version of the app already makes heavy use of circles, including on its icon. All that really needed to be done here was to fit the existing screens onto a smaller display. With very few minor tweaks, the app feels right at home.

pinterest-watch

The Pinterest mockup doesn’t really fit in with the iPhone version’s look or the Apple Watch design language. It uses menus filled with text which don’t seem to fit very well on a watch, along with small controls jammed into a control bar at the bottom of most screens. Pinterest as a whole doesn’t seem like the type of service you’d really want to browse from your wrist, likely due to its heavy use of images and the requirement to display a lot of text—neither of which work well at this size.

You can head over to the Thinkapps blog to get some more insight into what the designers intended for each mockup.

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Comments

  1. SilentMajority - 9 years ago

    A lot of those apps look pointless. I mean why would anyone want to watch YouTube videos on their wrist? In my opinion the iWatch works better as a watch, fitness device, and a means of authenticating your iPhone. Listening to music, checking your facebook page…not so much.

    • Mib Frank - 9 years ago

      Fair point. But there was a time where people laughed at the idea of Earth being a round globe.

      • Well it’s a bit different.. People couldn’t conceive the notion of the earth being round. I think most people can conceive the notion of watching videos on their wrist – the question is: why would you? I don’t know a single soul who ever watched a video on their iPod nano, despite it having the capability to do so.

      • M - 9 years ago

        Eh, thats a pretty weak analogy to use, anytime someone questions the practicability of something. Just a SLIGHT difference there. I own a pebble, which has roughly the same screen size, and I know for a fact that I wouldn’t want to do everything that I do on my phone on it.

      • Mib Frank - 9 years ago

        I too own a Pebble. Its ok and probably more useful than any before it. The big problem is that it only received about $10M worth of development funding, which was way beyond the manufactures expectations but still not enough to explore how people would use it and where it would become useless. Fortunately Apple wasn’t prepared for their AppleWatch to end up the same way: in the tech bin. That’s where I’ll be putting it. As for watching video on it: No, I won’t be watching cat videos or skateboarding kids busting their balls on handrails. If I have the unfortunate experience of being on a train or bus wondering how to use my time; I’ll be watching preloaded or streamed How-to tutorials of all the stuff I’m learning or maybe just the news instead. What you can’t imagine today doesn’t preclude what you may do tomorrow. When Apple designs a product it’s not just about the product itself, its also about what it does and means to the user and that’s why their watch will be on the majority of smartwatch wearers wrists. http://www.apple.com/au/watch/films/#film-design

  2. drtyrell969 - 9 years ago

    The watch looks cool, but these interfaces look so uninteresting.

  3. UI innovation on this thing is gonna be SO difficult…

  4. jakexb - 9 years ago

    These actually make me much more excited for the watch than even Apple’s demo

  5. Ryan Morano - 9 years ago

    Im skeptical about the whole smart watch market. I just don’t see how it’s going to be more convenient to use most apps on your wrist rather than pulling out your phone. While there may be good uses for it, such as someone said above me (watch, fitness, authentication, paying for things), I don’t see how applications such as Facebook, Youtube, even any sort of music for that matter, is going to work on such a small display. It’s either remove functionality from a fully functional iOS app, or cram everything on to a tiny screen and make usability a nightmare.

    • Nycko Heimberg - 9 years ago

      I use SmartWatch 1 of Sony.
      Since + of 2 years….
      Social notifications and reading SMS-MAILS.
      SMS sendings predefined (if I am occupied) and refuse entering calls
      Sport ( Endomondo)
      NOT USELESS !

    • webzpinner - 9 years ago

      A lot of people, myself included, work at places where taking out a cellphone is frowned upon or a terminal offense. I can see myself using the apple watch as a way to get info sent to me without drawing attention to myself by pulling out a phone. Until this was announced, I was planning to get the Pebble. The apple watch looks 100x better. Will I use it for music or youtube? No… Facebook & messages? Yes. Apple pay? Yes. Controlling my apple tv? Probably. Health? Meh… Not sold on health monitors.

    • Mib Frank - 9 years ago

      Apparently global smartwatch sales will initially amount to about $20bn annually, until the next big thing of course. Its rumoured that the AppleWatch has been in development for about three years. When you look at how other manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, Pebble and others have NOT realised the potential product outcomes and sales expected its no wonder Apple held back, took their time to get their product right as they watched the mistakes being made as their competitors rushed to market. As you know, Apple has an outstanding track record for design and usability in its products. I believe the AppleWatch will evolve well beyond the first model, I’m generally not an early adopter but I’ll make an exception this time. From watching the AppleWatch videos I’m confident they’ve pretty much got it right.

  6. quagski - 9 years ago

    All these 1.0 smartwatches are what the beeper was to telecommunicating in the 90’s…

  7. Graham J - 9 years ago

    You suggest that text lists won’t work well on the small screen but I disagree. They make the most of the available real estate and are easily navigated and selected with the crown. The center, selectable item would likely be enlarged for easier reading. It might not be the prettiest but it’s efficient.

  8. bellevueboy - 9 years ago

    I just want 2 things in my apple watch
    1. Tap and pay- which we know is possible.
    2. FaceTime calls
    2.a do it needs a camera
    2.b I don know how to get private audio(no speaker)

    • degraevesofie - 9 years ago

      Regarding 2.b, Apple Watch does have a speaker (and a microphone).

  9. leifashley - 9 years ago

    These designs range from silly to useless. The purpose of the watch is to augment what you have, but equate to what an iPhone does… You have an iPhone for that.

    Record my data when I work out, show me time, notify me, and Leanne pick a new playlist. I’m never going to watch a video on this for entertainment or browse Websiites.

    Designers had too much free time lol

  10. gsbfblog - 9 years ago

    1) looks like a kids toy
    2) screen is too small
    3) it’s like…remember all that stuff the iPhone replaced…uh…now we have to replace the iPhone because it created other problems….

    whatever…

  11. Olivier Boulet - 9 years ago

    Apple created the iphone 6 with larger screen saying this is what customers want. Now they come with a watch wich obviously has a small screen. That’s crazy !!!

  12. Ansar Ibrahim - 9 years ago

    Sent from my iPad

    >