Imminent Digital Rituals

Apple finally released their foray into wearable tech, and there’s a lot to talk about. Will investors make millions? Did Apple change the watch strap game forever? Is Switzerland screwed? These and so much more are all interesting and worthy of discussion, but one of the details that really piqued my interest is what Apple is calling “Digital Touch” (mentioned here around 2:35). Digital Touch is a suite of mini-apps that “give you fun, spontaneous ways to connect with other Apple Watch wearers, wrist to wrist”. They’re simple, one-note apps that open up really unique direct interactions between two people. The apps include Tap, Walkie-Talkie, Sketch, and Heartbeat, which transmit your touches, voice recordings, quick drawings, and your pulse (respectively).

I was immediately reminded of the “Feel Me” project by interaction designer Marco Triverio. “Feel Me” explored non-verbal, touch-based communication through smart phones based on a simple premise: “communications with a special person are not about content going back and forth but rather about perceiving the presence of the other person on the other side”. Marco’s piece opens up a new channel with existing devices, building a layer of intimacy over existing interactions and adding an emotional resonance to the simplest of actions.

Digital Touch operates on the same principle. It’s a digital nod, a wink across the table, a love note passed in class, a simple reminder of another’s presence. Digital Touch also an interesting paradigm shift for Apple because of a simple, powerful fact: the communications are real-time and temporary. There’s no “save to my photos”, “share on Twitter”, etc. The focus is about ephemerality, immediacy, and, above all, intimacy.

Is Digital Touch the “killer app” of the Apple Watch? Probably not. But what it is is a beautiful example of interaction design at its best and a collection of powerful new digital rituals. It’s a brilliantly open-ended and light platform on an otherwise hyper-engineered device, which in and of itself is something to be lauded.