The missing Frame
Just a few days ago the Apple Watch officially entered the market, becoming the fifth device manufactured by Apple.
Since we are talking about a first generation device, it naturally presents issues concerning the presentation of the new apps on the dedicated store.
In conjunction with the sale to the public of the Apple Watch, the Cupertino company also showed us how the AppStore had been amended to update and adapt to their latest device.
Besides, Apple, introduced the round icons that differentiate, in an intelligent manner, the apps for iPhone or iPad, from those of the Apple Watch with the wording “Offers Apple Watch app”.
Meanwhile, the details page has some shortcomings in terms of how screenshot are displayed, we note that the implementation of the screenshots of the app for the new clock shows “errors”.
These errors are displayed to the final user, the less experienced one, the ones who wouldn’t dream of ever reading the guidelines published by the same house.
There is a premise to make regarding guidelines in designing the apps for the Apple Watch: unlike those relating to designing apps for iPhone, with this new device, you have to take into account that the frame, of the product itself, has very wide margins, before meeting the display.
In summary, when designing an application for iPhone, margins are determined by the designer, whilst with the Apple Watch the margins are set by the design of the device.
This means that when designing an app, the elements of the user interface are resting on the frame.
So when you have to present the screenshots of the app, it seems that this has been designed badly, to the eyes of a non-expert user.
Apple has always sold the best apps of millions of developers who populate the AppStore, presenting them accurately, with dedicated pages and assigning them many awards, but in this case it doesn’t seem not to have thought of selling the products in the store in an adequate way.
Here’s my solution to have a significant improvement in displaying the content of the AppStore for Apple Watch:
I thought about adding the frame of the Apple Watch and changing the size of the screenshot going from 42mm to 38mm.
The addition of this frame improves visualization of the interface which then meet again in proportion on our watch, it sells in a more appropriately way apps and avoids creating misunderstanding in the user.
The user has an almost immediate Display of how the application will show on his new watch.
Special thanks to Diego Petrucci, Luca Soldaini and Henrique Gusso.
