How Critical Is Usability Testing For Wearables
                     
PowerPoint Presentation



How Critical Is 
Usability Testing 

For Wearables


Internet of Things (IoT) is changing the lives of the consumer 
at many levels. From smart watches & fitness trackers to 
connected cars and homes, the market for wearable 
technology is exploding and finding new niches.
 
According to a report by Industry analyst firm CCS, there will 
be a growth of $34 billion by 2020 for the wearables market, 
and over 125 million units are expected to ship in 2019.

While the above statistics make a strong point that 
wearables and smart devices will be the future and the 
world will be using these devices to perform the daily 
activities. However, this also means there is an extensive 
need to double down on testing efforts. 


The race to become an ideal choice for customers is 
pressuring enterprises across all business domains. In 
particular, with user experience, every brand is building 
strategies to ensure better customer experience. Considering 
that the focus is on making a digital impact, every 
brand/service/product is striving to come up with appealing 
website designs and mobile-based applications. 

Those winning in the wearable tech ecosystem recognize the 
importance of customer experience for the growth of their 
product. Every day there are new competitors in the 
wearables space. From watches to glasses, different 
challenges are involved with every technology. However, the 
main challenge faced by the wearables industry is to ensure 
the best user experience. 


Usability testing identifies crucial usability issues 
before the product is launched. It helps to 
determine usability standards for the target 
audience. 

It also helps to gather real-time feedback from the 
target audience using the application. 
Usability testing has proven to decrease support 
costs, increase user satisfaction, and save on 
development and redesign efforts.

Why is Usability Testing Critical?


Here Are The Major Reasons Usability Testing Cannot Be Ignored:

Easy access to information: 

Wearables gather information such as the steps taken, the miles 
covered, heartbeat tracking, etc. Usability testing ensures the data 
captured by the device is easily accessible and displayed to the user 
clearly.


Wearable devices provide ease to people who want to 
track their movements. If the device is not easily 
accessible and is complex, it is obvious that its market 
would be limited after receiving initial feedback from the 
users. 

The device should be easy to use and should be 
aesthetically attractive. Usability testing checks various 
aspects to check if the device is user-friendly and is 
appealing to the customers or not. Some aspects are: 

• Screen Size
• Font Size
• Colors Used
• Touch Panel
• Easy Scroll

Ease of Use:


Gesture And Voice Feedback: 

Wearables are on the users’ body constantly, and 
people move in unanticipated ways. What happens 
when a hello wave interrupts tracking or switches a 
smart device from ambient to interactive mode? 

Device input discrepancies could be the make it or 
break it for a user. This is where usability testing 
comes into the picture as it checks the device for any 
struggle while registering the different tones of 
voice.


Call Interruption And Notifications: 

As wearables are synced to mobile devices but do 
not necessarily have all the functions of a mobile, 
disturbances like notifications and calls can interrupt 
or even ruin the user experience. Helped by 
interrupt testing (a part of usability testing), it can 
be validated that the calls or notifications do not 
interrupt the functioning of the device.


Connectivity Issues: 

Most wearables connect to the phone via Bluetooth, which 
makes Bluetooth connectivity the most important thing to test 
as connectivity issues can annoy even the techiest of users.

Usability testing ensures that setting up wearable device 
connectivity with mobile is easy and doable without toiling 
much.


Feedback From User Groups: 

Usability testing involves real-time usage of the device to get 
candid feedback of the users. It is essential to discover defects 
and errors that are unknown and can arise when a user is using 
the device.


Wearable technology is an emergent market, and the demand is likely to rise in 
future. Therefore, to attract more consumers, smart technology is required. 

However, the interface being offered should be easy to use. To deliver a consistent, 
seamless and high-quality experience for users, wearables should be thoroughly 
tested. 

Conclusion

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