Individual Presentation: Wearables

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Zooming into the payments field, my presentation dives into the area of wearable payment devices. Going even more focused, I made an in-depth analysis of the Garmin HR Vivosmart with Ez-link contactless payment that was hardly known to anyone in Singapore.

Therefore I came up with this thesis:

Contactless payments wearables have not penetrated into the local market because their convenience do not overweigh their pricey cost.

 

Before I go on, let’s rewind to the new trends I presented in class..

 

New Trends – Institutions Implementing Wearables

  • Possibility of wearables entering the market tied through school programmes

Cashless payments in NTU

  • NTU Students are now able to have an all-in-one device for cashless payments
  • Wearable device also serves as Student ID/matriculation card

So I was just joking about having a matriculation card and all these payments incorporated into one device but in latest news…

Apparently, the newest matriculation card issued enables NETSflash pay when going aboard buses too. Why not amalgamate these ideas and create a wearable unique to NTU students?

I found this really timely and fascinating because of how it was rather in-tuned with my hypothesis

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…Back to this

Before going into the case study, I surfaced the top three principles that sets the ground of the validity of a wearable device

1.Starts from the human, not the machine

Wearable technology design should start from a human problem, and then evaluate viable technology solutions. It should not start from a particular technology solution looking for places to impose its presence.

2. Capitalizes on existing behavior

To earn the privilege of being worn, wearable design should evoke a feeling of the device as a natural extension of the person. It should not require the person to adapt or force new behavior.

3. Requests attention, does not demand it 

Because it is with you everywhere, wearable tech should honor the present moment, not distract from it. In doing so, it permits the wearer to remain in the moment, and for others around the wearer to do the same.

 

Hence, presenting the Garmin Vivosmart HR with Ezlink

Image result for garmin vivo ezlink

NFC payment feature

  • Near Field Communication radius of about 4 cm provides a wireless connection between your device and another

Look and feelImage result for garmin vivo ezlink

  • Simple and sleek
  • Only in three colours
  • Adjustable strap with 14 slots
  • Fits well for wrists  6″- 10″ in diameter.

User Experience

Taking buses

  • Takes a tad longer (0.5s) to be be processed
  • Better to choose the terminal of the side you’re wearing
  • Plus feature: Able to access last 6 Ez-link transaction records

Taking MRT

  • Placing of terminal points
  • Slightly trickier for those wearing it on their left

Paying for merchandise

  • Number of merchants that accept EZ-link as a form of contactless payment but that list is not extensive

Battery Life

  • Up to 5 days in a single charge (with activity tracking, smart notifications and all day heart rate turned on)
  • NFC capabilities still works after battery is flat (8 hours)

Other Features

  • 24/7 activity tracker
  • Measures steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors climbed, active minutes
  • Measures heart rate and calories burnt
  • Find my iPhone Feature
  • Smart notifications

Paired Mobile App UI ?

The mobile app tied to the device is pretty neat and intuitive

Pros ?

  • Lightweight & ergonomic
  • Waterproof up to 50m
  • Up to 5 days battery life
  • Secure* (Payment terminal thefts in Europe)

Cons

  • Limited range of designs
  • Limited ezlink payment terminals
  • Functionalities can be carried out with mobile phone app
  • PRICE!!!

Overall, a 6/10 as the price is really a huge-concern here. (Especially with Singaporeans)

NFC Payment Ring

A short note on this wearable device since I’m doing on this topic – I had the chance to use these rings at the Visa Summer Interns summit in San Francisco back in July. In the video, I’m making payment for my drink at the Contactless Cafe using the NFC ring. In short, these are the pros and cons

Pros

  • No battery needed. This is one of the best advantage of a device as it doesn’t rely on any charging, but just the chip in it
  • Price. These are relatively affordable ranging from $20-$60.

Cons

  • Sizes. Perfect fit is fairly important for wearables. However, these come In only two to three sizes. Rather absurd as rings are usually custom made for their sizes. Mine almost flew out as it was really insecure

Future of wearables

For wearable devices, many factors come into play like price, fit, fashion factor, ergonomic level etc. It seems to be taking off overseas especially for fitbits and other fitness related wearables. However, the device’s convenience has to work on its standard if it wants to see the increase of users locally.

Link to Google slides

References

https://techielobang.com/blog/2017/01/22/batman-v-superman-fitness-tracker-x-ez-link-demo/https://geekculture.co/geek-review-garmin-vivosmart-hr-with-ezlink-smartwatch/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3171431/Thieves-use-scanners-steal-account-details-contactless-card-wallet.htmlhttp://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ez-link-introduces-wearable-devices-7573432http://www.hardwarezone.com.sg/tech-news-you-can-pay-rides-public-transport-ez-link-wearableshttp://www.sportswearable.net/gpsports-vest-or-man-bra-is-helping-sports-professionals-around-the-world/

Device of the week 4: Project Jacquard – Google and Levi’s wearable

Being more into up-to-date interactive gadgets in the market, here’s Google and Levi’s Project Jacquard (USD $350), a piece of smart clothing that will be available online from today 2nd Oct on wards. About its collaboration, Google developed Jacquard, a technology that can be woven into fabrics. As for Levi’s, it is the first brand to use the technology, and used its classic commuter trucker jacket to house it all.

Aimed at cyclists, this smart denim jacket allows users to customise their experience and get a variety of services be it maps or music directly from the jacket sleeve.

Project Jacquard guide: The lowdown on Google and Levi's smart jacket

This means dismissing calls, getting directions, switching music and even reading messages out loud with the paired headset or its speaker just by swiping the sleeve or tapping it.

 

For this Commuter Jacket, it uses an interactive yarn to build the touch and gesture sensitive areas on the sleeve, where sensor grids can be created for even larger interactive surfaces. This allows designers to take advantage of LEDs, haptic and other outputs to provide feedback for the user.

The fibres are linked to a detachable smart tag which attaches itself on the cuff, which provides connectivity to your smartphone. This is removable and could be plugged into a USB port to charge it up.

Pros

  • Well-packaged

A collaboration of two big brands is one way to attain brand credibility and trust of a buyer, hence buying reach of wearable technology. This collaboration is an important move as not only it fulfilled its aesthetics component, but it is also one of the most sleek and stylish wearables to date equipped with smart capabilities. If there is indeed a breakthrough in this product, it could lead to the rise of more iconic brands collaborating with technologies to create more wearables, expanding the market.

 

Cons

  • Limiting gestures

There are only three types of gestures detected for this wearable. It may be a tad bit limiting to adhere to these such few gestures moreover, while on the road. Following the wearable principle, wearable technology design should start from the human, not the machine. Hence, the aspect of human-centered design can be further developed.

  • Fabric vulnerability

With the nature of a clothing aimed at cyclists, there’s a high chance that this needs to be washed after sweaty rides. However, it was mentioned that this jacket could be washed a maximum of 10 times before it stops working. However, the material of yarn is limiting its shelf life despite its stylist exterior and capabilities as a wearable device. Hence, more research & development will be needed to cover up this product’s flaw.

Improvements

As a cyclist myself, I’d have a user inclination to use voice command if wearing this set of smart clothing kit, instead of lifting my grip off the bar to do swipes. Perhaps the makers could incorporate voice sensors into the smart chip around the collars of the jacket. This would create a hands-free device that changes my music, gives me directions and reads my messages aloud which is indeed more spectacular than needing gestures to perform an action.