watch-wearable-design

Watch Wearable Design

Wearable Design Principles

1. Glanceable. Information must be understood in 2 seconds.
2. Minimal interaction. Tap, swipe, crown/dial. No complex gestures.
3. Brief. Content is measured in words, not paragraphs.
4. Timely. Show information relevant to right now.

Screen Patterns

• Complication: 1-3 data points on watch face.
• Short look: Notification preview (app icon + title + brief text).
• Long look: Full notification with action buttons.
• App view: Scrollable list or paged content.

Design Constraints

• Screen: ~40mm circle or rounded square.
• Touch targets: minimum 38x38pt.
• Content width: ~170px.
• Interaction: digital crown, side button, touch, raise-to-wake.
• Sessions: 5-10 seconds average.

Typography

• SF Compact (Apple Watch), Roboto (Wear OS).
• Minimum 16pt.
• 2-3 lines of text maximum per screen.