There’s a lot to be excited about on the emerging technology front right now, especially around wearables. Oracle's investment in user experience around emerging technology -- what we're researching, how we think wearables and other new technology like the Internet of Things (IoT) could fit into the enterprise world, and defining Oracle's strategy in user experience going forward -- is a major focus for us now and in coming months.
You may have seen The AppsLab’s post on the Apple Watch, The Apple Watch Arrives, in this space last month. We also talked about how the Oracle Applications User Experience (OAUX) design philosophy of “Glance, Scan, Commit” fits the wearables model on the Usable Apps blog. Well, we’ve had some more time to sit with it all. Take a look at these new posts:
Having this new toy in our wrists made us want to explore more possibilities, so make sure to check out this post on watch-first (mobile-first is so 2014) design and development.
Other Wearables
With all of the frenzy and media coverage in the wake of the Apple Watch’s release, it might seem like other wearables are sitting on the sidelines. But the OAUX team is still researching and testing across a broad range of devices.
Jake Kuramoto of the AppsLab blog spent about a month wearing a Jawbone and wrote about his experience here. After starting out with a fitness band and moving to a super watch, he says, going back to the comparatively feature-poor UP24 was a bit shocking initially.
The question, “Does a seven-year-old need a smartwatch?” is surely a sign of the times. This post discusses FiLIP, a standalone phone and GPS locator for kids, which lets families to stay in touch without burdening kids with too much power. And it offers an important design lesson all smartwatch makers ought to learn.
Internet of Things
The OAUX team has been thinking about how new technology, like the Internet of Things (IoT), could fit into the enterprise world. The AppsLab team tested one such device, the Amazon Echo SDK, whose use cases are only limited by our futuristic view of interacting with our systems with just our voice. Read about some of the IoT integrations that are possible with this device here.
Finally, there's a whole lot of work going on to enable IoT technically and securely at Oracle. OAUX’s first-ever IoT hackathon yielded several technical proof-of-concepts for IoT-based enterprise solutions. Click here to read all about it (and keep your eyes peeled for a sweet treat)!