Do you think consumers are ready for (Google) Glass? I think so.
I am co-author of Web Services, Service-Oriented Architectures, and Cloud Computing: The Savvy Manager’s Guide. In the book, I describe how a Glass-type of device would be used for facial recognition, translating items in a menu, translation, and getting directions to a restaurant to name a few examples. At the time the book was written (2011 and 2012), a wearable technology was on the drawing board and not yet available to the public. Glass was the kind of technology you read about in Popular Science. Envisioning the possibilities for using Glass meant that nothing was impossible—everything was possible. The only limitation to what was possible was technology. Surprise—it's here: Glass.
The April 2014 issue of Intercom features an article by Marta Rauch called “Technology and Google Glass: Why It Matters.” The article highlights the trend of wearable technology, which includes devices such as Google Glass. Behold! Glass is a reality, proving that nothing is impossible. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could try them on myself?
By coincidence, Marta Rauch was presenting a session title Google Glass and Augmented Reality—Tools for Your Content Strategy Toolkit at the recent STC Summit. Everything she talked about was just as I imagined it in the book, yet now it has a name—augmented reality. Marta wears Google Glass and describes her experiences on Twitter @martarauch. After her presentation, Marta gave a hands-on demonstration of Glass, allowing attendees to try them on and perform a task or two. When it was my turn, the Speech to Text feature was turned on and I saw my spoken words converted to text. With a touch of the rim of the Glass, I saw a list of menu options; I was speechless, which is not an easy thing to do to me. Another person asked for directions to the airport, which Glass accurately provided in seconds. Another person walked around the conference center taking pictures and videos. Surprisingly, Glass is easy to use.
If you missed the Summit, you have an opportunity to attend Marta’s webinar about augmented reality and wearable technology on Wednesday, 11 June. See Content Strategy for Augmented Reality and Wearable Technology for details. I encourage you to attend. Augmented Reality is growing rapidly in many fields, and it is becoming a common mechanism for delivering content.
I have seen the future and it is Glass.
I’m David Dick and I’m Talking Usability.