Google Glimmer Is A UI Design Language For AR Glasses

Google Glimmer is the company’s design language for the interfaces in coming Gemini smart glasses with transparent heads-up displays, and eventually true AR glasses too.

Small Screens Without The Struggle

On a traditional screen, designers fill a rectangle, and a VR headset stretches the canvas to a full sphere. On display glasses, the usable area is much smaller and always competes with real life. That alone calls for apps with glanceable layouts and a simple menu system. We saw a demo of Google’s prototype smart glasses at last year’s I/O.

Google describes the display as a space you opt into with focus, not something you passively absorb. These glasses are essentially heads-up displays (HUDs), not screens you stare at for hours. For daily use, display smart glasses should use a small area that allows you to shift attention briefly, then return to the real world at a moment’s notice.

Since screen colors blend…