The Apple Watch is amazing but can be a pain to use.
Do you scroll or swipe on that screen to show more?
Does the digital crown do anything here?
5 Apple Watches displaying different features of watchOS 10.Apple
And why am I being forced to navigate menus on such a teeny-tiny screen?
“Fundamentally, Watch interactions are measured in seconds, not minutes.
Navigating Apple Watch
Navigating the Apple Watchcan be a fiddly process.
WatchOS 10 features.Apple, Inc.
Sometimes you could also swipe to reveal further screens to the left and right.
And at other times, you have to tap a button to move to another screen.
Apple, Inc.
Let’s see some examples.
A cyclist wearing an Apple Watch and using an iPhone mounted on the handlebars.Apple
But to get back from that info sub-page, you tap a back arrow.
Apple’s Workout app, maybe one of the most-used apps on the watch, is no better.
Again, once you get used to it, this two-way navigation is fine.
The problem is that it is inconsistent.
Well, no more.
Apple has fixed the problem by using pages.
The new UI paradigm discourages scrolling in favor of pages.
Fundamentally, Watch interactions are measured in seconds, not minutes.
The advantage of these pages is that you have much better spatial awareness.
You don’t have to pay so much attention to get where you want.
And you will not end up halfway between two pages, either.
Having non-moving controls means it’s possible for you to learn their positions and tap them without thinking.
WatchOS Smart Stacks and Full Screen
This new page-based UI can be found everywhere.
Now, you turn the digital crown from any watch face, and widgets pop up.
These are automatically selected, depending on the time of day or what you are doing.
“I used the App Switcher all the time.
And it seems to me the Smart Stack replaces that.
So I’ll be looking for it to provide similar functionality.
Developers can also use this new design language in their own apps.
Apple’s Watch apps are also expanding to use the full screen and beyond.
When you start a cycling workout on your watch, it appears as a live activity on your phone.
Tap it, and it expands to fill the screen on your phone.
This update is a big one for Apple Watch users.
It makes everything more immediate and less annoying to do, combined with an added layer of visual polish.
It’s like it finally grew up.
