{"id":3681,"date":"2015-05-28T12:16:36","date_gmt":"2015-05-28T19:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/?p=3681"},"modified":"2015-05-28T12:56:06","modified_gmt":"2015-05-28T19:56:06","slug":"apple-watch-app-case-study-intelligent-shopping-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkapps.com\/blog\/development\/apple-watch-app-case-study-intelligent-shopping-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple Watch App Case Study: Intelligent Shopping App"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re talking to founders, developers, and product managers who are creating Apple Watch apps in our Case Study series. You\u2019re reading the sixth installment<\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

One glance at Oscar Peli<\/a>\u2019s Intelligent\u00a0Shopping List<\/a> on the Apple Watch will make you think that your grocery list should have always lived on your wrist.<\/p>\n

No more jotting it down on scraps of paper or having to stare at your phone while navigating your cart. With the Intelligent\u00a0Shopping List (available on both iOS and Android), you can type out your full list on your phone and then check it off one-by-one on your watch.<\/p>\n

\"shopping-2watches\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Meet Oscar Peli<\/h2>\n

Peli, who lives in Italy, is a former asp.net developer who jumped into iOS in 2010 and Android in 2012. His grocery app, which was first released on iOS in 2013, was created to fulfill his own need.<\/p>\n

Like many people, he’d started jotting down digital notes using simple apps like Notepad but wanted something a little more connected, plus faster and simpler<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I started to develop for iOS, I thought it was the time to develop a shopping list\u00a0app for myself,\u201d he explained. But he didn\u2019t hit his goal of convenient, fast simplicity until the Apple Watch app was released<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Building Android-First<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The app is pretty straight-forward: write out your list on your phone, and it automatically syncs\u00a0to your watch\u00a0for your next grocery trip. Just tap each item you\u2019ve picked up as you go to check\u00a0it off the list.<\/p>\n

Peli added the extra feature of a barcode scanner to speed things up. You can also get really specific with the items. So rather than\u00a0listing \u201ccereal, soup, pasta,\u201d you can replace those items with name brands and prices, which allows you to\u00a0shop even smarter on your next trip to the store.<\/p>\n

Peli developed the Apple Watch app entirely in-house using a lot of the knowledge that he\u2019d gained building the prior version\u00a0for Android Wear. For the Watch app he said, \u201cThe simulator has been a key\u00a0resource for proceeding with the development [as it] provided me the opportunity\u00a0to see the app working even without a real device.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"shopping-duo\"<\/p>\n

Envisioning New Tech<\/h2>\n

Since he had previously released apps on Android Wear, Peli said that he was already used to the idea of having an app on his wrist. But, of course, building for each platform was an entirely different experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving already developed the app for a [wearable] platform helped me a lot during the analysis because I used exactly the same ideas and the same\u00a0approach,\u201d he said. But as far as the jump from Android to iOS, he compared\u00a0it to the difference between building a site in .net and then PHP.<\/p>\n

Still, he said being able to test his app on Android before the Apple Watch gave him an advantage. \u201cI had the opportunity to test the effectiveness of the app in first person,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Trials and Tribulations<\/h2>\n

The most common issue for developers so far seems to be deciding which assets and features to bring from the iPhone app to the Watch \u2014 not only in the sense of\u00a0fitting your design within tight quarters, but also to ensure ease of use.<\/p>\n

People expect to spend a minute or two\u00a0in an app on their phones, but on a Watch app you\u2019re working with little more than the blink of an eye.<\/p>\n

As Peli said, \u201cA watch app and a mobile app are two really different things, so if you try simply to transform your mobile app into a watch app, you will fail. You need to think to your watch app as a simple extension of your mobile app.\u201d<\/p>\n

He breaks down the Apple Watch infrastructure into three elements: the companion smartphone app, the app extension on the smartphone, and the actual interface on the Watch. He said, \u201cThe interaction of these elements and the flow of data was the most complex part to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"shopping-2phones\"<\/p>\n

The Perfect Watch App<\/h2>\n

Sticking to his mantra of “Stay Fast, Stay Simple,” Peli was able to focus in on what was most important for his app:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to develop an app that lets the user do what he or she needs only in [a] few seconds, so you need to put …\u00a0only the most relevant info and make the interaction the easiest [possible].\u201d<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

He wanted to ensure that, when he was shopping at the market, he could manage his list quickly and easily<\/a>. Because, just like with your trip the grocery store, you want to get in and out of the app as seamlessly as possible.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for Oscar Peli<\/h2>\n

For now, Peli is sitting\u00a0tight to see how users like the grocery list app before he makes any big changes. He\u2019s been using it himself for a year now (on Android Wear) and is\u00a0satisfied with how it\u2019s working. He said, \u201cI believe that these simple, yet powerful features are everything I need now.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, with four apps on Google Play and two in the Apple Store, Peli is just getting started. He wants to publish his other apps on the Apple Watch, but there\u2019s a hangup in how iOS manages notifications<\/a>. So, until he builds another app<\/a> that can go cross-platform, you can check out what he has available<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before your next grocery run, check out the\u00a0Intelligent\u00a0Shopping List\u00a0app on\u00a0iOS<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your app could be perfect for the Apple Watch and we\u2019d love to help you build it.\u00a0Try out the ThinkApps for Watch tool<\/a> to brainstorm and explore\u00a0your app ideas.\u00a0Or, if you already have a specific idea in mind and just need some help with development,\u00a0reach out to our Apple Watch team.<\/a>\u00a0We can help you\u00a0get started today.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Never forget milk again. As part of our case study series, we spoke to the founder of this Apple Watch shopping app to learn more about his development process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":3689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[35,66,242,237,18,26,364,13,160],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nApple Watch App Case Study: Intelligent Shopping App<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Never forget milk again. 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