Imran Chaudhri, who played a pivotal role in the Apple Watch’s creation, offered an inside look into the device’s design process Friday, showing off an early concept drawing of the smartwatch’s home screen.
His sketch, shared on the 5-year anniversary of the Apple Watch launch, looks amazingly close to what is in use now. He also showed off a video of the very first Apple Watch band and talked about the history of some Watch faces.
Apple Watch user interface holds true to original concept
The original sketch Chaudhri posted on Twitter shows that today’s Apple Watch looks remarkably close to what he first envisioned. There’s a screen full of small application icons with a clock face in front of it.
digital touch was originally called E.T. for electronic touch. i called it that for its potential as a new form of emotional connection.
the drawing “ink" was inspired by my graffiti days. the ephemera was designed to communicate transmission while making it guilt free. pic.twitter.com/FadGhf8ho9
— Imran Chaudhri (@imranchaudhri) April 24, 2020
The Digital Crown and Side Button are there, just as they are on the latest Apple Watch Series 5.
There have been changes, of course, including a circular Watch face — not the rectangular one used today. “The shape of the circular icon was driven by the clock that lived in the centre of what i originally called the dock,” said Chaudhri.
Plus, he helped create Digital Touch, which lets users send sketches, taps or their heartbeats to friends who have an Apple Watch. He tweeted today about his first thoughts for this method of communicating, too.
The first prototype Apple Watch band
A watch needs a band, even when it’s still a prototype. Chaudhri posted a short video of the band he attached to a sixth-generation iPod nano when putting together the user interface for Apple Watch.
i‘ve always loved straps that were uncomplicated, the mechanism for the loop watchband was an evolution of velcro speedmaster straps worn by apollo astronauts. pic.twitter.com/8FLSRC1NrV
— Imran Chaudhri (@imranchaudhri) April 24, 2020
The creation of Apple Watch faces
The designer also gave the back story on creating a couple of Apple Watch faces, including the one starring a blue butterfly. And he revealed that the Solar Apple Watch face was created to help Muslims during Ramadan.
i created the solar watch face as a way for muslims observing ramadan to quickly see the position of the sun and for all to understand the sun's relationship to time. #RamadanMubarak pic.twitter.com/4mcmIknqjm
— Imran Chaudhri (@imranchaudhri) April 24, 2020
The inside track
Chaudhri also posted on Twitter a picture of himself with the rest of team that created the Apple Watch.
a few fun facts to celebrate 5 years of #AppleWatch
here’s a photo taken of the team on launch day, that’s me in the centre. (the beard ages me but my wife @bella_bongiorno won’t let me leave home without it) pic.twitter.com/E1GufksZM1
— Imran Chaudhri (@imranchaudhri) April 24, 2020
Chaudhri worked at Apple from 1995 to 2017. He helped design the first iPhone, as well essentially every other computer the company released in the last 20 years. The designer left Apple to co-found the startup Hu.ma.ne.
