Wearable tech was touted as the future with Google Glass leading to the development of Snap Glasses and versions of Oculus. Even though Google Glass marked the end of Sci-Fi wearable devices, it is still one of the firsts to build and influence other products out there today. A device that makes you look like you were a superhero straight out of a marvel film, or something straight out of a black mirror episode may be what the future holds and this is probably why the moment Google announced their wearable technology, you and I and the rest of the world collectively gasped.
Little did we know this was a Future Fail device, one that was labeled fashionable, handsfree with modern technology was soon going to receive major criticism . Google Glass was intended to be a product with a variety of solutions that the technology could provide.
But why wasn’t this enough?
IDEO put together a set of rules and assumptions to be considered during innovation and product design.
Desirability:
Google failed at identifying the needs of their audience. They assumed that people using phone or tablets would be their target users. Although the concept seemed great, where google designers failed was they did not consider factoring the number of people not willing to wear it because of its design. They did not solve any real problems for customers and its two main functions, scrolling through the internet and taking photos, something a phone already did, was not something users were looking for.
Viability:
In terms of acquiring customers and generating revenue and ensuring that they remain active users while further attracting more customers and subscribers, Google Glass failed. They launched their product as a soft launch amongst tech workers only. By providing this limited access to people who then created the haves vs the have nots, opinions were already set in stone after a soft launch. This perception of the product was personal to only the tech industry and not for everybody. This is a great example of the product that was launched too early . This product was also very hyped about , like its battery life, taking pictures, handsfree experience, operating with AI assistance and ability to display information on a virtual floating screens in front of you. Even though its technology had some really great features its ground breaking purpose was very unclear. It ended up being worse than products that don’t catch on to current market trends and even its soft launch was a monumental failure from a sales point of view unfortunately.
Feasibility:
The product had big technical and engineering challenges when they had to let their customers know they are taking it back to the lab. It had customers worried with privacy issues and being highly priced. The weirdest problem was there was no easy way to get access to buying such a product. Even after its soft launch it was ok not to have the product initially available for distribution, but Google teased their customers for far too long and the worlds interest in the Glass was waning and unrecoverable. From being a hot product at first it went to be a product that stopped getting attention of the tech industry and the press.
There is a lot we can learn from the fall of Google Glass. Launch your products with the same buzz but use PR and marketing to strengthen it and make sure an “out of sight out of mind” situation doesn’t come up. Make all product benefits and uses explicit and sell it for what all it really is. This will help create momentum and attract customers right form the get go of soft launches.
Being a designer, I hope this product has a comeback, with more features, better design, usability and most of all intention, because I know this company is heading to change what our future will look like and its all for the good.
