We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Akira Deng, Samson So about their original and creative Bluetooth Wristwatch design work. Akira Deng, Samson So is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original bluetooth wristwatch works.
Akira Deng, Samson So ("ADSS") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Knotch Bluetooth Wristwatch. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
ADSS : Nowadays, there are many competitors and brands that started to produce smart-watches but they all had one thing in common, which was that the smart-watches are actually another mobile device within the watch. Therefore, we wanted to create a watch that is smart, but we still want the user to think of it as a watch instead of a mobile device. Knotch has only one additional function, receiving notification, so it was affordable by the youngsters who like to follow fashion trend.
ADSS : My main focus was the users because I would like the watch to be able to interact closely with the users. I want to design a watch that can be wildly accepted by the users
ADSS : I might start to make this design widely available in the market.
ADSS : It took me few months to design this design from the problem to the final designed product.
ADSS : I wanted to design this particular design because I thought it could be a much better design competition than other smart watches in the current market since it has a lower price, and a better concept for being a "watch".
ADSS : This product is not sold yet, and I do not have a plan to sell to other company or product it myself, but it is all up to the companies and how they see our design.
ADSS : It is from observation from everyday life. It leads me to the inspiration of the design as you can read it on the designed description.
ADSS : Yes, my best friend Samson So Ming Cheung helped to design this work as well. He shares the same amount of design passion as me, and he has a very good design sense as well.
ADSS : It can be used for any age, and any gender, but according to the trend, it might be more suitable for teenagers, any gender who want to stand out in the high technology fashion accessories.
ADSS : It has a lower cost, so it can be more affordable, and also it does not feel like an another mobile device worn on the watch, so users can wear it as a usual watch when it has a similar function as a smart watch that could be very useful.
ADSS : I wanted to name this design that has never been named so The name would be only for our watch. The name "Knotch" was inspired from a very good friend of mine and it means "Know the Notification From Watch".
ADSS : I used Adobe Photoshop CS6, and Solidworks with usual design tools like paper, pen and so on.
ADSS : The most unique aspect of our design is the interface and the great visibility from the watch panel.
ADSS : No, but soon I will develop this design with people who has technical skills.
ADSS : Bluetooth connectivity of the watch with the phone to gain notification and to update the time.
ADSS : My design used many data from user and market research, so I can product something that will suit the market and the user very well. Friends, Family, and other people around us were used as a sample to target our product. Since our focus was to come up with a user-friendly and ergonomically friendly watch as well as the functions, both qualitative and quantitative research was done. Up to more than 10 initial designs were created, and we figured the best way to add all the good points together to come up with our final design. We kept going back to our sampled users to find feedback in order to improve our designs.
ADSS : The hardest part of this project was to put both most up-to date technology and the users' wish into our design. At first, it was very hard to come up with the aesthetic design of the watch since we were focusing heavily on balancing the human factors that will be applied on the watch and how the watch can stand out when it is in use. Furthermore, it was extremely important to bring out our main function: to be able to know the notification without having to bring out the phone. At the end, we both decided not to start the generation of ideas by thinking it as a watch, so in the end we have designed something that broke all the traditions of a normal watch yet still be able to look as a watch.
ADSS : Joining competition was one my design dream because I can share my ideas with many countries and to learn from many other professional designers as well.
ADSS : I learn to focus more on the precision of the watch as well as the overall aesthetic of the watch because The real beauty of the overall aesthetic of the watch is enhanced from the small specific angles or dimension of the watch.
ADSS : Not that I am aware of.
