The next stage of this project will focus on fully developing the smartwatch app concept through a series of self-produced sketches and wireframes. This phase will explore the app’s visual direction, key features, and overall structure, helping to translate the established idea into tangible design outputs. By refining how the app could look and function, this stage will provide a strong foundation for understanding the app’s purpose, functionality, and agenda before moving into the final design stages.
One of the first steps in this stage of the project was to map out and create a storyboard that visualises how the smartwatch app would flow and function. This process allowed me to explore the user journey across key interactions and understand how users would move through the app. Developing the storyboard helped clarify the overall direction and purpose of the app, while also highlighting potential usability issues and opportunities for refinement at an early stage. A strong emphasis was placed on clarity and accessibility, ensuring the app is intuitive and inclusive for the intended user audience of wheelchair users, including myself.
Following the development of initial storyboard illustrations, this stage of the project focused on refining and expanding those ideas to better showcase key app screens. The aim was to translate the narrative concepts into more structured design solutions. This was explored through a combination of low-fidelity sketches and digital wireframes, allowing for rapid experimentation with layout, flow, and hierarchy. These outputs will serve as foundational design assets, supporting the transition to final high-fidelity screens while remaining aligned with the original user journey.
Now that a basic visual direction for the app screens has been established, the next step is to develop these ideas further through digital wireframes. This process will allow for greater refinement of layout, interaction, and functionality. Progressing from wireframes to a final high-detail mock-up will help visualise how the app could function in its completed form, ensuring design decisions remain clear, purposeful, and user-centred.
As part of developing the visual identity of the app, careful consideration was given to colour choices to support its focus on navigation and safety. Green tones were explored as the primary colour, as they are commonly associated with guidance, reassurance, and safe movement. Lighter colours, such as white, were used to create clarity and visual space, helping improve readability and accessibility on a small smartwatch screen. Red was introduced selectively to highlight errors or warnings, providing a clear visual contrast and reinforcing moments that require user attention. Together, these colour choices aim to support intuitive interaction while maintaining a clear, accessible, and safety-focused design.
For the final stage of this project, four smartwatch app screens were developed and refined. Limiting the design to four screens was a deliberate decision, allowing the core idea to remain clear and focused without overcomplicating the app’s functionality or visual layout. The final screens were designed digitally, bringing together insights from earlier research, storyboarding, and sketching stages. This process ensured the designs were informed by user needs and aligned with the overall concept of the app. A strong emphasis was placed on accessibility, particularly for wheelchair users, by keeping interactions minimal and layouts simple. This reduces the amount of on-screen interaction required while ensuring information is clear, visible, and easy to understand on a small display. Overall, the final screens successfully communicate the app’s purpose and reflect the original concept effectively. The clean layout, clear visuals, and considered interaction design demonstrate a strong level of usability and thoughtful design resolution.
