People will pay for consumer technology that just works out of the box. Without the need for an instruction manual. Consumers quickly fall in love with products when they’re sleek, convenient and easy to understand.
This simple truth extends across hardware, from smartphones to voice-activated speakers to a number of Bluetooth-adjacent devices with folksy names. As the iPod turns 25 and the Nest thermostat turns 15, introducing new technology into people’s lives should be a straightforward process by now. Setup should take seconds.
There should be a swift app download or email confirmation and, boom, the tech is online and already at work solving near-daily problems or making life easier for users. Once online, the products should fade to the background. People want the benefits of technology without making it their whole personality.
The allure of a connected device, accessory or appliance often outshines its utility. From the Fortune 500 down to the startup that was born yesterday, this breakdown repeats itself. And it’s why consumer hardware is one tough business and the world is filled with crappy products.
In the case of smart glasses, just because a pair can record daily life’s moments and save them to the cloud doesn’t mean they should. Or that our lives fundamentally improve in any way at all. Now, on the flip side, smartphones took off because they provided a foundation for an entire ecosystem to exist and evolve beyond anything the original device was designed for.
It helped that they easily slipped into our pockets or purses and basically became extensions of our hands. While I was at Apple, Steve Jobs pushed us to build the iPhone, iPod and iPad with an entire ecosystem in mind. We focused on user experience and customer value first, then moved on to technology and operational excellence.
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