Smart watches and their evaluation

Smart Watches and Their Evaluation Functionality and Usability With Smartphones

Smart watch, often referred to as the smart watch is a wristwatch that has been computerized, and integrated with functionality that has been enhanced beyond timekeeping (Miyake, 2001). Moreover, the features of smart watch make it comparable to a personal digital assistant, or a PDA device. The early models of these watches were capable of performing basic tasks that included translations, calculations, and game playing. Meanwhile the modern smart watches have been designed in a way that they can be considered to be wearable computers that are actually quite efficient and effective. It is actually quite interesting to note that many smart watches have been designed in a way that many mobile apps can be run on them (Lever, 2013). On the other hand, there are also some models of these watches that are capable of operating a mobile system, and therefore they can be used as portable media players that offer the features of FM radio, including audio and video files. FM radio can be used with support from the Bluetooth headset. Some of the smartphone models, which are also referred to as watch phones, also feature complete mobile phone capabilities, and therefore such watches can also make calls or answer phone calls (Mims, 2013).

Smart watches come with almost all the features that are offered by a smartphone. Some of these features include a camera, thermometer, accelerometer, compass, cell phone, calculator, chronograph, barometer, altimeter, GPS navigator, rechargeable battery, graphical display Map display, scheduler, speaker, watch, a mass storage device by a computer and SD cards that can be recognized. These watch can also be used establish communication with heads-up display, wireless headset, microphone, insulin pump, modem, or any other devices of any form. Apart from that, some of the watches are also designed with the functionality of activity tracker features, which is referred to as 'sports watches' and 'fitness tracker'. Such functionality and features are normally seen in GPS watches that are specifically made for Diving, Training, and for Outdoor sports. Training programs, for example internals, speed display, Route tracking, GPS tracking unit, dive computer, Cadence sensor compatibility, heart rate monitor compatibility, and compatibility with sport transitions are included in the functions of the sport watches (Mims, 2013).

Just like other computers, a smart watch has the capability to gather information from external and internal sensors. It has been integrated with the functionality to control, or retrieve information from computers or other instruments. These watches can also support wireless technologies that include, GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. However, the possibility for a "wristwatch computer" to serve as a front line for a remote system is there, especially in the case of watches making use of Wi-Fi or cellular technology (Hall, 2013).

It is assumed that an introduction to smartphones is not required, as they have become the objects of daily use with the improvement in technology. Smartphones run on a number of software, and millions of apps can be run on different smartphones. The apps that can be downloaded, purchases or that are already built in the smartphones have made the lives of the people considerably easy. It will be safe to say that there are apps for every single thing. From cooking to working out, to finding out the way to absolutely any place in the world, all has been made possible with the help of the smartphones and the apps that run on them. As smart watches are slowly making their way to the market and the wrists of the users, and have almost all the features that of a smart phone, analysts have started to wonder whether the functionality of the smart watches will shift the attention of the tech savvy people from smartphones to smart watches.

With every passing day, technology and the level of sophistication that it present within the new products is increasing and becoming more and more complicated and complex. After the smartphones, the next big tech thing that the world is talking about is "smart watches." There is no doubt that there are many people, and technology analysts, that must be scoffing at the idea of development of smart watches, however the tech-savvy people are actually quite excited about this next big thing. The first watch-phone was released by Samsung back in the year 1999, however it did not get much attention, and neither did it take the tech world by storm. However, the kind of technology that we deal with today on our daily basis, the question that whether or not smart watches will become successful in the tech world, and whether there is a possibility that they will replace the smartphones, has a great deal of significance. The purpose of this paper is to find out the usability of this device among the users. The main aim of this paper is to consider the findings of the questionnaire responses from the three users that were made a part of this study. We seek to figure out whether or not the usability features and attributes of the smart watches will make them as successful and wanted as the smartphones or is it going to be a failure like it was 14 years ago (Shanklin, 2013).

Test Goals

As it has been mentioned above, the goal of this test is to make an analysis of the prospects of the new technology. Through this paper, we want to assess whether or not technological companies should invest more towards the improvement and enhancement of smart watches. The main focus has been kept on the 'usability' of smart watches. The main reason behind this is that the customers have become very user-oriented. For example, most of the people own a smartphone because they believe that they are very useful. Therefore, the usability of smart watches, in comparison with smartphones, as an everyday use device will be sought through this paper.

Test Objectives

The main objectives of this paper are to figure out the usability of smart watches among the users. Through the questionnaire, we shall try to analyze the use of smart watches among the consumers. Apart from that, we shall also try to figure out whether or not the functionalities and attributes of the smart watches make them usable among the users. The preference of the users with respect to smartphones or smart watches will also be sought as a part of test objectives.

Methodology

The methodology used for this research included questionnaires and interviews. It should be noted here that this will be a quantitative study. The participants will be chosen at random. The method of simple random sampling was used for this research. Three people that use a smart watch as well as a smart phone were made a part of this study. The inclusion criterion was the people that use or own smart watches. As for the exclusion criteria, children under the age of 18, pregnant women, and prisoners will not be made a part of this usability test. People who had used smart watches at one point in their lives, and now use smart phones, or vice versa were selected for this study.The two variables that were considered in this study are smart watches and their usability among users. The independent variable in this case is smart watches, and the dependent variable is the usability among the users. The study tool used for this study is the study questionnaire. The results of the study were analyzed using SPSS software. The data will be represented through t-test, since it is a quantitative study.

An important aspect to note here is that we shall be choosing the participants for the study according to their ownership and usage of the smart watches. Since usage is a relative term, we did not restrict the selection of users of smart watches on the basis of the model or producer of the smart watches. The reason behind this is that the usability of consumer can be considerably different from the usability of another consumer. Apart from that, it is very much possible that one consumer might prefer a specific brand over another. Therefore, participants will not be included or excluded on the basis of the model or brand of the smart watch.

Introduction to the Participants

The information about the demographics of the participants has been obtained through the questionnaire. The first part of the questionnaire has specifically been designed to obtain the demographic data of the smart watches and smartphone users. There are five questions that were asked in this section of the questionnaire. The first question is about the age of the participant. There are four options from which the participant could choose, according to his or her age. The first option was 18-23, the second group 24-30, the third group 31-45, and the fourth group was above 46. The second question was about the gender of the participant; two options for it, male or female. The third question was based on the education level of the participants. There were 6 options for this question. The question sought to get an idea about the literacy level of the participant. The reason behind adding this question is that according to the general trend, the more a person is educated, the more he or she will make use of technological things because he or she will have a better understanding of the technological devices. Similarly, it has been expected that illiterate people will have low usability of the smart watches. The second section of the questionnaire focuses on the products. It is based on 8 questions related to the product. These questions have been asked by the participant in order to learn about the attitude and level of usage of the participants. Apart from that these questions were also asked so as to evaluate the level of satisfaction pertaining to the use of smart phones and smart watches that exists among the participants. Moreover, the experience level of the participants with respect to the use and operation of the smart watches was also sought through this part of the questionnaire. Most of the questions were based on the Likert scale.

How Test Goals were communicated to the Participants

The rule of communication of the test goals and aims to the participants is a mandatory one. Not a single participant can made a part of any study or research, before him or her is made to understand the goals, purpose and objectives of the particular study that is being carried out. Therefore, the purpose of this study was also conveyed to the participants before it was carried out. An informed consent form was drafted before the study was started. The form that was drafted was also based on two sections. The first section included an introduction about the study. In the introduction, a brief summary was given about the smart watches, its functionalities and its features. A short comparison, which was unbiased, was also made between smart watches and smartphones. It was then made clear to the participants that they are being asked these questions about the usage of smart watches so as to make a conclusion whether or not companies should invest towards the enhancement of these devices. It will also be explained to the participants that the information given by them will be kept confidential at all times of the study, and even after that. All the steps of the research were also explained to the participants. Later on, the questions that were there in the questionnaire were also explained to all the participants. The second part of the informed consent form was based on the permission, and in order to make sure that the participants were not children of age under 18 years, were not prisoners or pregnant. This exclusion criteria has been set by the guidelines used to assess the usability of devices. If the participants sign the informed consent form and agree to take part in the research, then these people will be considered as being a part of the study.

Major Usability Attributes

Many technology companies are currently working towards the process of development of a smart watch. As mentioned earlier, a smart watch is fundamentally an extremely small computer that can just be made a part of a wristwatch. As of now, there are three main companies that have released their smart watches. The first one is the Pebble watch, the smart watch produced by Sony, and the iWatch produced by Apple (Schumacher, 2014) (Arthur, 2013). Apart from that Samsung is also one of the top brands that want to become a part of the smart watch production spree, and therefore jump on the bandwagon. The company has confirmed that they will be designing and then releasing a smart watch that will undoubtedly go on to offer rivalry between Samsung and Apple. As for the latest reports, associations have been made between the gadget and the giant search engine Google. Therefore, it can be concluded that the top most tech giants of the technological industry have also started to step in the world of smart watched (Doensen, 2010).

People that are always on a watch out into the tech space are actually quite fascinated about the success and effectiveness of smart watch as to how well it will do with the users and the customers. It will be safe to say that most of the people today make a link of watches with fashion accessory and style, rather than technology. However, the benefits of the technology behind smart watches are beyond just being a watch, as a small computer will become at your instant disposal and into your hand bag or a pocket (Simon, 2013).

However, there are some usability questions that need to be considered particularly when evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of use of the smart watch. Many people ask questions and wonder whether or not the smart watch will flash or beep every time they walk past a shop or a store that is offering some promotional sales or discounts. Some people also wonder whether or not a smart watch will alert the users when they are near a bar or a restaurant that has been recommended by their friends through social media. There is another question that arises in the minds of the people that whether or not the smart watches will be useful for the people that would want to get some health related information after they would attach their watch to their writes when they are working out. There is no doubt about the fact that there are endless possibilities with respect to the functionalities and other uses of the smart watches, but another question that arises here is that whether or not the use of smart watches is actually required in our lives, and whether or not it is legit. Another concern of some of the people that were questioned about the application of smart watches in their lives was that at least a smart phone can be hidden away, however a wristwatch stays on the wrist of an individual throughout the major part of the day.

Even though many people are intrigued with the advent of this technology and about the potential of its functionalities and usage, analysts as well as the users do feel that watch is more like a fashion statement or rather a functional timepiece and that it is actually not a technology device. However, what needs to be discovered is that which of the major technological companies will come to the top once the competition of smart watches begins. As of now, the major producers that seem to be a part of the game are Google, Apple and Samsung.

Questionnaire

The response questionnaire was designed in a way that it would help us to achieve the goals, as well as the objectives of the test. The questionnaire was divided into two sections. The questions of the questionnaire were multiple choices, and the participants were asked to choose only one the choices, which they considered to be the most appropriate. The first section of the questionnaire was based on the demographic questions. There were 5 questions in the questionnaire. These questions were about the age, gender, income, marital status and the educational level of the participants. The second section of the question had 8 questions. This was the main part of the research questionnaire with respect to its association with the evaluation of smart watches in comparison with smart phones. In this section, the participants were asked about their use of the smart watches. Apart from that, they were also asked about their level of satisfaction pertaining to the use of smart watches. 2 questions were also asked in order to evaluate or assess the comparison of smart watches and smart phones with respect to their functionality and usage. Basically, the experience of the users with the smart watches was being sought through the questionnaire.

Collection of Information from Participants

After getting the informed consent forms singed by the participants, they were explained about the study as well as the questions that were there in the questionnaire. The participants were told about every question, and the purpose of that question being a part of the research questionnaire. The questionnaires were then distributed among the participants. Since the names of the participants were kept confidential, they were given a serial number. As there were only 3 participants of this usability test, they were given the serial numbers Sr. 1, Sr. 2, and Sr. 3 respectively. The participants were given 20 minutes to fill out the questionnaire. After the participants had filled out the responses, the questionnaires were collected from them. The data was then analyzed using the data analysis tools of a quantitative study.

Summarizing the Results

According to the results of the study and the analysis of the results it can be said that things with smart watches are going in a different direction. Participants, as well as the analysts are of the view that users might need different kinds of chargers for the different kinds of batteries that are integrated within the watch. Another point that was raised during this study was that smart watches do not have the potential to replace a smartphone. The reason behind this is that most of these watched do need a connection with the smartphone in order to function with full efficiency. Therefore, this is one of the negative points of the smart watches that surfaced during this study. However, it can be said that as the companies will develop the smart watches, they will become better.

On the other hand, wearing a smart watch on your writs would mean that a person will only have to move his or her arm slightly so as to view the notifications, the time or even the weather updates. When we compare this with a smartphone, in the case of which one has to reach into the handbag or the pocket, one has to pull out the phone wherever it is, and then look at the screen for the aforementioned tasks, or more. As for some of the smartphones, one has to even push the power button and then slide the screen with the finger so as to unlock the phone. All of this has to be done before one goes on to check the notifications. Most of the smartphones these days have a specific mode. When that mode is on, pertinent information is displayed on the screen immediately after the phone is pulled out of the handbag or the pocket. These are some of the features of the smartphones that rule out the need for an extra device to look at some of notifications.

One of the other problems that surfaced during the analysis of the information obtained by the customer was that of the usability of a smart watch. Since the smart watch will be attached to the wrist, it means that it will go wherever the hand of the person is going, and therefore it will not always be there when a person has to interact with the device. This implies that one will have to make use of his or her other hand, as well as the eyes before it can get anything useful out of the smart watch. There is no second opinion is saying that this does not seen to be an efficient scenario, especially in case a person is out doing something important. Even though a tilt of the wrist and a look at the screen is definitely faster than pulling out a phone, but there are many cases in which the slight twist can be dangerous, for example if one is holding a cup of hot tea in the hand. On the other hand, a Bluetooth headset has the potential for a more efficient interface. The users can activate the speech interface of their phone with one hand, and then press the button. As for the rest of the interaction, the hands of the users are free to do other important things, like driving.