Fossil was evolving from a traditional watch company into a connected-device company. Increasing market ownership plus proprietary IP made for an easy decision by Google to acquire.
The challenge was bigger than putting software on a watch. We needed to create a connected experience that could scale across hardware, mobile applications, Google Wear OS, proprietary technology, and a portfolio of distinct fashion brands without making those brands feel interchangeable.
I led Product Design across that ecosystem, aligning Product, Engineering, Hardware, Google, Marketing, and Brand teams around a shared experience strategy.
Scope & Cross-Functional Collaboration
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Team
5-8 Designers
10-20 Engineers
1 Content Designer
Impact
Acquisition by Google for $40 Million
10+ Products Shipped
(0->1)
The Experience Challenge
While smartwatches were becoming more capable and accessible, capability and availability alone wasn’t enough. Fossil had a different advantage – we understood watches, fashion, brands, and why people choose to wear one product instead of another.
Our opportunity was to combine that strength with a scalable technology platform in partnership with Google.
We created a flexible experience model on top of Wear OS that allowed shared technology to support distinctly branded experiences. Some applications could be white-labeled and configured across multiple brands. Others were purpose-built around the needs and personality of an individual partner.
The goal was not customization for its own sake. It was creating enough consistency to scale the platform while preserving enough flexibility for every brand to feel intentional.
The technology could be shared. The brand experience could not.
One Application, Every Watch
The Fossil Q application became the backbone of the connected-watch ecosystem, supporting hybrid and touchscreen products across multiple brands and watch configurations. Instead of treating each watch as an isolated product, we approached the experience as a platform. The underlying system needed to accommodate shared capabilities, partner applications, device-specific behavior, and individual watch SKUs while still creating a coherent experience for customers.
That platform also connected the product experience to the commercial experience. Product, Design, Marketing, and Brand teams worked closely to ensure the capabilities customers saw in software were accurately represented across eCommerce, retail, packaging, advertising, and multi-channel campaigns.
Rethinking What a Smartwatch Could Be
Most smartwatches were converging around the same model: digital first experiences, bright touchscreen,
frequent interaction, and frequent charging.
We explored a different direction.
Fossil’s proprietary hybrid technology combined the physical structure and familiarity of a traditional watch with a low-power digital display and connected features such as notifications, health information, apps, and quick interactions.
Instead of asking how much technology we could put on someone’s wrist, we asked which technology deserved to be there and how can me make it beautiful at scale? The result preserved more of the behavior, appearance, and permanence of a traditional watch while addressing two of the largest frustrations in the current category: battery life and overwhelming notifications.
Technology should support the object, not overwhelm it.