Submission + - Hell Is Other Contexts: How Wearables Will Transform Application Development (veracode.com)
chicksdaddy writes: Veracode's blog has an interesting post on how wearable technology will change the job of designing applications. Long and short: context is everything. From the article:
"It’s the notion – unique to wearable technology – that applications will need to be authored to be aware of and respond to the changing context of the wearer in near real-time. Just received a new email message? Great. But do you want to splash an alert to your user if she’s hurtling down a crowded city street on her bicycle? New text message? OK– but you probably shouldn't send a vibrate alert to your user's smartwatch if the heart rate monitor suggests that he’s asleep, right?
This isn't entirely a new problem, but it will be a challenge for developers used to a world where ‘endpoints’ were presumed to be objects that are physically distinct from their owner and, often, stationary.
Google has already called attention to this in its developer previews of Android Wear – that company’s attempt to extend its Android mobile phone OS to wearables. Google has encouraged wearable developers to be “good citizens.” “With great power comes great responsibility,” Google’s Justin Koh reminds would-be developers in a Google video.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQf0sANoDw&feature=youtu.be&t=2m26s)
“Its extremely important that you be considerate of when and how you notify a user.” Developers are strongly encouraged to make notifications and other interactions between the wearable device and its wearer as ‘contextually relevant as possible.’ Google has provided APIs (application program interfaces) to help with this. For example, Koh recommends that developers use APIs in Google Play Services to set up a geo-fence that will make sure the wearer is in a specific location (i.e. “home”) before displaying certain information. Motion detection APIs for Wear can be used to front (or hide) notifications when the wearer is performing certain actions, like bicycling or driving.
"It’s the notion – unique to wearable technology – that applications will need to be authored to be aware of and respond to the changing context of the wearer in near real-time. Just received a new email message? Great. But do you want to splash an alert to your user if she’s hurtling down a crowded city street on her bicycle? New text message? OK– but you probably shouldn't send a vibrate alert to your user's smartwatch if the heart rate monitor suggests that he’s asleep, right?
This isn't entirely a new problem, but it will be a challenge for developers used to a world where ‘endpoints’ were presumed to be objects that are physically distinct from their owner and, often, stationary.
Google has already called attention to this in its developer previews of Android Wear – that company’s attempt to extend its Android mobile phone OS to wearables. Google has encouraged wearable developers to be “good citizens.” “With great power comes great responsibility,” Google’s Justin Koh reminds would-be developers in a Google video.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQf0sANoDw&feature=youtu.be&t=2m26s)
“Its extremely important that you be considerate of when and how you notify a user.” Developers are strongly encouraged to make notifications and other interactions between the wearable device and its wearer as ‘contextually relevant as possible.’ Google has provided APIs (application program interfaces) to help with this. For example, Koh recommends that developers use APIs in Google Play Services to set up a geo-fence that will make sure the wearer is in a specific location (i.e. “home”) before displaying certain information. Motion detection APIs for Wear can be used to front (or hide) notifications when the wearer is performing certain actions, like bicycling or driving.