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UI design // Wearables

Designing for a two-second glance

Lessons from a smartwatch flight tracker: one decision per screen, high contrast, and ruthless priorities.

From the project: Flight Tracker

Designing for a two-second glance

The context decides

A traveller at the gate has a bag in one hand and a passport in the other. They don’t open an app; they glance at their wrist. The goal was critical flight information in under two seconds on a 1.5 to 2 inch screen.

Every screen holds one decision.

What I kept, what I cut

  • Kept: gate, boarding time, booking code and urgent help.
  • Cut: anything that doesn’t need action at the airport.
  • Dark, high-contrast UI that is readable in airport lighting and kind to the battery.
  • Large tap targets and haptics for timely nudges.

Minimalism on a watch isn’t fewer elements. It’s only the essential ones.

The project behind this post

  • Wearable · Smartwatch2025

    Flight Tracker

    A glanceable smartwatch interface for travellers rushing through an airport with their hands full.

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