Iron Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design · 2019
The Plant - Advent And Nature Smartwatch Watch Face
by Pan Yong
- A' Design Award 2019 Iron Winner in Interface, Interaction and User Experience Design
- Awarded April 15, 2019
- CLIENT: Artalex
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 20,515
- Verification code C8340E645C · Verify this award
About The Plant - Advent And Nature Smartwatch Watch Face
The Plant - Advent & Nature gives you a fresh look and feel. It easily matches your outfit, both for business and casual life. Both two designs (Advent and Nature) have event notification which prevents you from missing important event on calendar. The Advent even shows different encouraging slogan to give you different mood everyday. The Nature is suitable for casual occasion by providing essential information and different colours so that it makes your watch matches different outfit better.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This watch face project, The Plant, consists of two sets of design, Advent and Nature. The Plant Advent is catered for business purpose while the Plant Nature is for casual. Both, however, have event (reminder) indicator. So user will not miss important event in calendar. The Advent has encouraging slogan everyday. The Nature provides essential information, is suitable for casual occasion. Both have two themes (black and grey) and can change colour according to user's preference.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Width 400px, Height 400px. Support Samsung Gear watches (Gear S2, S3, Sports, Galaxy Watch) and all Android smart watches. Use WatchMaker app to load up the watch face.
- Tags
- business, informative, casual, black, grey
- Production Technology
- Designed in Photoshop. Developed in WatchMaker app. Lua is the coding language. This watch face is for WatchMaker only. There is no Samsung Tizen native version yet. So for Samsung user, need to use WatchMaker app to sync it into watch, just like other Android watch.
- Design Challenge
- There were two challenges. One was how to make The Advent (business) give user different mood everyday so that when users look at the watch, they feel encouraged. The solution is I use seven encouraging slogans for seven different days. For example, "Believe yourself" for Monday. "Relax" for Sunday. I tried it for a few weeks. The feeling is awesome.
The other was when I design the dashboard-like layout for The Advent. It's hard to put so many information into a small dial. For example, there is not space for battery percentage. In the end I came up an idea, merge it into my drawing as background. It's not primary element in the dial. But user still can see it. Problem solved. - Project Duration
- The project started in January 2018 and finished in June 2018 in Singapore.
- Operation Flow
- Download the watch face from WatchMaker here: http://www.getwatchmaker.com/watch/sBJWzFJZb7
Load it up in WatchMaker app and sync into watch. When the watch face starts, it will show a white pallet icon. Click it to set colour. - Research
- This project was started because of one of my plant drawings. I used this drawing as my phone case design. One day when I saw the actual phone case, I decided to use it in my watch face design. And then I tried to use one drawing to form two different directions, business (informative) and casual (minimalism). After first draft came out, I used it on my watch for a few weeks. To check whether the watch face is easy-to-read, whether the battery consumption is good or not. And most importantly, whether it looks stylish, young and matches modern fashion or not.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration is to have my own drawing, the plant, as background and develop out different feelings for different target users (business and causal). The Plant Advent is in a dashboard-like layout. Directly shows the information user needs for day to day work. With event indicator (if user set reminder in calendar), user can check events directly from watch and will not miss important meeting. The Plant Nature has minimalism style while still have event indication.
Colors of The Plant - Advent And Nature Smartwatch Watch Face
Design Interview about The Plant - Advent And Nature Smartwatch Watch Face
I wanted to have an informative modular watch face with minimalism style so that I can check daily information in a quick way.
The main goal in designing this watch face is that I try to put as many essential information as possible but at the same time it doesn’t feel crowded.
I guess it could be the start of a series of modularised minimalism stylish watch faces.
It’s pretty quick. Once I had this idea, I quickly drafted and developed the prototype using Watchmaker app. It just took me about 1 day.
It’s just for my own use initially. I want to have a watch face for me to check all the essential information (e.g weather, date, temperature) in a very quick way, and I want it to be in beautiful minimal style.
Currently, the design is used by myself. If companies intent to buy, maybe I plan to sell it or lease the production rights. I’m happy to see it coming.
For the convenience of myself. Besides, it’s hard to find an informative, easy-to-read, modularised and stylish watch face.
Almost everyone.
It has a lot of information inside the small dial but at the same time, it doesn’t feel crowded. Besides, it’s really easy-to-read.
The name of this design, The Plant, is from its background watermark. The background watermark is actually a pencil sketch of a plant. I drew it in Shanghai, 1998. It’s a piece of pencil drawing practice in Hua Shan Art School. I love it.
Adobe Illustrator and Watchmaker app.
The most unique aspect is its visual and user experience. Simple minimalism style, easy-to-read visual together with all the essential functions for daily use.
I did it on my own. Conceptualized it. Design it. Code it. All by myself.
The role of technology in this design is not the most important. It just does its basic function — fetch the correct data.
No, there is no data research involved.
The challenge is how to organize all the information blocks in a beautiful layout. The layout must be not-crowded and easy-to-read at the same time.
I didn’t decide. If lucky, I guess, my design will be nominated. Just like this time. One day, I received the email from A’Design, saying that this watch face design was nominated.
I got a lot of feedback from my social media posts.
Grand Interview about The Plant - Advent And Nature Smartwatch Watch Face
The integration of daily encouraging slogans was inspired by the idea of bringing positivity to routine moments. I carefully crafted these messages to be simple yet impactful, aiming to provide users with a gentle boost throughout their day. User feedback was crucial in measuring the impact; beta testers noted an increase in motivation and connection with the watch face, which encouraged me to further refine the language and display frequency. This approach to emotional design helps create a meaningful, personal experience in everyday interactions.
I aimed to create a seamless and natural interface, where functional elements felt like part of the aesthetic. By merging the battery indicator with the plant background, the design conveys battery status without disrupting the visual flow. The plant illustration changes subtly as battery life decreases, adding a dynamic, organic touch that harmonizes with the face’s themes. This solution minimized on-screen clutter while making the battery status more intuitive and visually engaging.
My background in interactive art has always emphasized storytelling and engagement. For The Plant, I envisioned a design that could adapt to different contexts while maintaining a unified experience. The Advent theme was crafted with clean, structured elements for a professional look, while the Nature theme embraced organic shapes and softer tones. Despite these contrasts, the recurring plant motif and balanced typography ensure that both themes are connected aesthetically, offering users a consistent yet versatile interface.
I focused on making the event notification feature subtle yet noticeable. Using color and spacing, notifications blend seamlessly into the watch face without overwhelming the display. For example, a small color change in the plant drawing or a dot near the main time display indicates new events. This approach allows users to stay informed without sacrificing the minimalist and clean aesthetics central to the Advent and Nature themes.
Throughout the development, I discovered the importance of simplicity in wearable interfaces. Initial concepts were more elaborate, but real-world testing highlighted that simplicity not only enhances aesthetics but also usability. Another discovery was the impact of color adaptability; as users tested different color combinations, I saw how small adjustments in color and contrast could vastly improve readability and user satisfaction. This feedback helped refine the final product into something both functional and visually appealing.
I approached color adaptability by selecting a versatile palette with enough contrast to keep text and icons clear in various lighting conditions. Each color option was tested to ensure the readability of key information remained consistent. I also used subtle gradients and balanced color accents that adapt based on the user’s chosen scheme. This maintains a coherent aesthetic while giving users freedom to personalize their experience without compromising usability.
Balancing technical constraints with creative vision was a rewarding challenge. WatchMaker’s framework required optimizing animations and interactions to ensure smooth performance across devices. I collaborated closely with developers, iterating on aspects like frame rates and responsiveness while preserving the artistic intent. This iterative process ensured that the final design was both visually captivating and technically robust, meeting WatchMaker’s standards without losing the essence of the concept.
Transforming the plant drawing into an interactive watch face was about translating a static concept into a dynamic, functional design. I envisioned the plant as a living entity that reacts to changes in battery life, time, and notifications. Each visual element was adjusted to serve a dual purpose: aesthetically pleasing as a standalone image and functional in an interactive setting. This evolution allowed the design to maintain its organic roots while becoming an engaging tool for users.
I see The Plant as part of a growing trend toward interfaces that foster emotional connection through personalization and interactivity. Future smartwatch designs can build on this by incorporating subtle, mood-enhancing elements and adaptive visuals that respond to the user’s daily life. This approach to emotional design in wearables can make technology feel more human-centered, moving beyond functionality to enhance the user’s well-being and experience.
My advice would be to focus on a core concept that can be adapted to different contexts without losing its identity. By establishing a strong visual and functional foundation, designers can explore variations that cater to different user scenarios. It’s also important to test designs in real-world situations to understand how small adjustments can impact usability. Striving for simplicity, adaptability, and emotional resonance will help create versatile interfaces that users can relate to and rely on.