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Living with Google Glass Ogilvy Labs Report By William Harvey @WilliamEdHarveyIf you haven’t heard of Google Glass – where’ve you been the last 18 months? Back in February ‘13 Google announced at their I/O conference the prototype product ‘Google Glass’ to the developer community and the world. !‘Glass’ is a wearable piece of tech., built into a pair of glasses, with a heads up display for the user to see a screen. It allows users to access a selection of applications and functions rather than having to use a mobile device. !Living with Glass I have been living with Glass for over 2 weeks now. I Have used it in meetings, commuting to work, at events and even in the pub to try get an understanding of how Glass could really fit into one’s daily life. The first mobile phones were seen as a luxury for the select few, with people not able to see how they would fit in a person’s daily life. Now the mobile is seen as a necessity, might this be the same for glass? Jury’s still out to be honest… !Living with glass meant an initial behavioural change. In meetings or at events I would have frequently taken my mobile out of my pocket to glance at the emails I had received, or reminders from my calendar.

With Glass, the ‘Glance’ feature meant all I had to do was look to the top right and the screen gave me an overview of what I have missed or needed to attend to next. By swiping the device I was able navigate menus without having to look down at my mobile and so continue what I was doing. !I also became very aware of people looking at me when I was wearing it. The standard Glass comes with a simple metal bar frame with options to add additional frames or sun glasses. The bold frames I’ve been using makes wearing the device subtler and sit more naturally on the face. Walking about with glass, more digital savvy people frequently did a double take. The majority of people didn’t really notice when I was out and about. It’s on public transport or when stationary for any period of time that you become very conscious of people looking and pointing (was heckled as a ‘Glasshole’ in the street.) But there is indeed HUGE curiosity about the device, to the extent that I was not able to go on any journey outside without at least one person asking if they could try it out.

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Creation or Consumption Device !A debate I heard some time back was if Google Glass was a Creative or Consumption device. The two sides of the argument were: !Creation- Glass allows you to create a range of content from photos, Videos and even dictate replies to emails. This allows users to generate more content on the go, capture new experiences and document more of life through ease of use. But this in turn might be seen as watering down rich content and over sharing? !Consumption – The other side in the debate sees is it as a purely a content consumption device, allowing users

easier access newspapers or emails between tasks, watch YouTube videos on the fly. It claims that this can help people utilise their time better, allowing easy & quick access to content that’s relevant. This has its barriers however as Glass as yet, has very limited input and navigation control over the device, so it can be a very long-winded experience of a simple task that could just as easily be accessed via mobile. !My view, it started life as a creation device allowing me to take notes in meetings, capture photos and videos when attending events and tweeting hands free on the go. After 3 weeks however, I’m moving towards seeing it as a consumption device. Unless you are living the life of extreme sport there are only so many photos

of meetings you can take. Plus, as more apps were launched, they allowed me to create a more personal news feed, so I’ve steered towards the consumption view.

Features What can Glass do? !There are a number of features that come with Glass as standard out of the box, as well as a wide range of Glasswhere applications that have come out from 3rd party developers to open up further possibilities. Here are some of the key features : !Take a photo/Video With Glass you are able to capture photos as well as moving images, you can then share on social media channels or mail to contacts. It gives a 1st person perspective of experiences direct from the eyes of the wearer, allowing content to be captured and shared via social media. !Notification Having used Glass a fair amount now, the quick notification on the go and while in meetings feature for me is a real winner. Smartphone notification might be a text, email, tweet, reminder, etc., requiring you to pull out your phone if I need to do something. With Glass, You receive a notification by a quick vibration behind the ear, glance top right and the screen displays a notification overview, you can then send quick reply using voice recognition or switch to another device if you need to do something more long form. !Google something One practical (but some say problematic…) function is the ability to Google anything using your voice. Saying ‘OK Glass’ ‘Google’ activation voice command you can then search for pretty much anything from the engine’s database. The voice command is fairly

solid, but with this early developer version it is configured more for American accents than British, which has cause some interesting searches.. !Directions One feature I have already found useful is the ability to get overlaid directions when out and about. The feature requires you to have a smartphone paired with the glass at the time, to use the cellular connection as well as GPS positioning from the handset. Once set up, it allows you to walk along the street and have an arrow pointing your next direction right in front of your eyes, and also uses voice nudges when you need to make a turn. It works incredibly well when you have a full address as it uses the Google maps system, however, can

have problems with addresses with multiple numbers. !Translations One of the most WOW features of Glass has to be the translation feature. Powered by the mobile translation app WordLens it allows you to look at text and will convert it from one language into another visibly, instantly. It currently offers English, Spanish, French, Italian, German and Russian, so looking at a French street sign or menu, it overlays the English translation on top. What I think is the most amazing part is that it will replace an overlay translation using the same text font and colour that you’re looking at, as seamless to the user as reading it in your native language.

Connect it with your Android or IOS device and explore a connected experience on the go!

Function !It wont replace your phone but work more as an accessory to enhance experiences

Usability in life

Google Now on Glass With Google glass enabled on Glass i would get important reminders and notifications like birthdays

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!!During my time with Glass I have given over 100 personal hands-on demos to both people in Ogilvy (as well as people asking in the street..) so I have had a chance to see a real mix of reactions for first time users and the potential possibilities for brands. !True first person experiences One of the initial uses brands could consider. Examples already out there- in the sports space - Play against Roger Federer, Justin Rose giving golfing tips (sponsored by BA). These experiences truly give the viewer the 1st person perspective. The difference between Glass and the more conventional body-mounted camera experience: you’re not so conscious of what you’re doing when you are wearing Glass. !!Delivering context awareness A growing trend. With Google Glass it’s initially happening with News-based companies :Guardian and Mashable that deliver notifications/articles depending on your location, time of day and behaviour. IBM might be able to leverage the smart city data and overlay in front of what you’re looking at. Looking at a bus stop, it knows you get the 486 every day and could show you how long to the next bus will be and if longer than usual, it would suggest for you an alternative route. !The next direction for this is the Augmented Reality space of real life. Gaming Companies could make real-world digital gaming experiences, where you need to

go to certain physical places and look at landmarks or triggers to start a mission or unlock rewards. The possibilities of virtual characters following you down the street and you becoming part of the story and exploring playable cities is almost there. !Hands free activity Another interesting space Glass may move in to. A number of cooking-based apps. are already in the glassware store. Allowing people to focus on cooking by overlaying step by step in front of your eyes, frees up hands to do the actual cooking! The medical industry is already showing an active interest in the hands-free possibilities. What if a retailer like Amazon took that to the next level with shopping? Using the new ‘Firefly’ product recognition software, you could look at your fridge, it would work out what you’re missing or running low on by just glancing at it, It would then get put into your shopping basket with a 1 click purchase. !Other possibilities Two other quite feasible spaces that Glass could make a difference in are the Insurance, and Healthcare sectors. The possible offer of a lower premium if you were to wear them at work, potentially cheaper car insurance by attaching display cameras and tracking boxes. What if we could do that for humans, or are we creeping into the invasion of privacy territory?.

Possibilities for brands How could it be used?

Navigation Using Google map’s and Glass you can see your navigation right in front of your eyes

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“Are you talking to me or checking your emails right now?”

Reaction from work collegues !“From mums to mountain climbers, explorers are the first to make, to tinker, to create, to shape, and to share through Glass”

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My time so far with the device: I’ve used it to assist in a number of everyday experiences and feel I understand better how the device could fit into the everyday consumer’s lifestyle. !Pros : Glass has enabled me to be more instantly reactive to Emails and work changes. ( Might be a bad thing though..?!) My diary can be manic, and I am always on the go, so it has enabled me keep on top of workload with a mere glance. It has also allowed me to get more natural images for events and experiences, people are not as conscious when you take photos, so you can get more interesting images. Lastly, the overlaying of relevant information in front of products, objects or buildings via Glass heads up display is a real step towards an augmented self and therefore has the potential to enhance life with the ease of access to information. !Cons : Short battery life in the first release is worse than my iPhone (that’s saying something..) creating the need to charge every few hours. The 'Glasshole' possibility is still a MASSIVE factor when deciding should I or should I not take it today. Limited 'Glasswhere' apps. had been a

major issue over the first year as a developer prototype. Now with around 50 apps it's opening up the possibilities, but feels like it's not moving fast enough to keep in step with market demands. Privacy issues are a huge area of debate too... !The Future: There is a real feeling (and a lot of PR to back it up..) that Glass is the first step in a new direction for devices. It may be but, my experience to date tells me that there needs to be a number of evolved versions of the device yet before I feel it can go mass-market. Stand alone access to the internet on the go is a must. The current need to pair with a smartphone to access the internet really limits the ‘always on’ claim for consumers. Building tech. into the frames to make it more discreet will have a huge impact & potentially greater adoption and public consciousness when engaging with Glass users. The key element that might be the game changer would be facial recognition; break the final barrier of offline/online blur. A linked-in application that might assist me by showing me a name, how I know someone, the history of our encounters via instant heads-up display would certainly be going in the right direction for me.

Summary Pros, Cons and Future

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