Why Tech Startups Need Humanizing Technology?

The introduction of augmented reality has brought many perks to humankind. Augmented reality (AR) is a live view of the physical world that is injected with elements that are augmented by the computer-generated sensory input. Unlike virtual reality (VR) that replaces the real world with a virtual world, AR retains the real world and simply adds something extra that is digitally created into it. AR has been a technology that has garnered the interests of many tech developers. Google has created Tango, a computing platform that uses computer vision to enable mobile devices to deliver user experiences such as indoor navigation, 3D mapping, physical space measurement, and many others.

In 2016, Google via Tango has collaborated with Lenovo to implement AR capabilities into the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, making it the first smartphone to sports AR technology. With the AR technology, users of Phab 2 Pro were introduced to functions such as virtually measuring the distance between objects or to place a virtual version of furniture in their homes before physically purchasing them. The introduction of AR technology by Lenovo (and then subsequently by Asus in the form of the Zenfone AR) has opened the opportunity for up-and-coming startups to experiment with AR and VR platforms to be introduced to the public in the future.

Chatbots

The introduction and usage of chatbots have enabled businesses to interact better with their consumers. in 2016, Facebook introduced the Messenger Platform for Facebook Messenger. With over 900 million monthly users, the Messenger Platform is allowing business to engage customers in a two-way, one-to-one or one-to-many method. In the past, when consumers wanted to contact a company, they had to either call a hotline, drop an email, or visit a proprietary website. Now, the Messenger Platform has enabled companies to create bots that enable consumers to directly interact with a company. The bots enable consumers to inquire or seek advice easily and enables companies to send latest updates directly to the consumer as well, providing a win-win situation for both parties.

Chatbots are a good way for startups to engage their audiences to obtain their feedback and understand their needs so that they can cater their products and services better to the community which they are targeting. To make themselves stand out from competitors, CEOs and top management personnel in startups can also use chatbots as an alternative to relay messages and address issues personally to their customers or target prospects, adding a personal touch that makes them approachable and relatable. This serves as a win-win situation, as the top management is able to get direct feedback from end users, and the consumers are able to voice out directly to the management without going through filtering.

Online Price Comparison

Another rising trend that is emerging online is price comparison sites, such as Google Shopping, Priceza, and iPrice, which helps consumers to make easier and smarter shopping decisions. Shopping can be a hassle to many and often times one would like to purchase items at the best price possible. These sites help online shoppers to make better decisions by featuring a comprehensive rundown of the prices and discounts offered from their partner merchants. Not only that, these websites also feature coupons and exclusive promotions that one might only be able to enjoy by purchasing online, hence enabling users to attain more value from their purchases.

Vitamins – Elderly-Friendly Technology

One such example is a project done by the design studio, Vitamins. When Samsung approached Vitamins to design a phone to target the elderly, Vitamins did something out of the norm. Rather than adopting the usual approach of creating a phone with bigger buttons, bigger screen, and simplified functionality; their solution revolved around the standard smartphone.

Vitamins created two hardcover books with cutouts into which the mobile device could be placed. They designed the book in a way that enabled it to become a simple walkthrough guide, with step-by-step guides for the elderly to navigate through the smart phone’s functions such as making phone calls and accessing Facebook. The book also contained illustrations and arrows that pointed to the relevant buttons on the phone that is involved in the specific tasks.

The example above shows an effective way of humanizing technology by Vitamins. They understood that the elderly preferred to obtain information by reading physical materials such as books and newspapers and also noticed that the elderly would take a longer time to understand the functions without illustrations, so they used illustrations and arrows to simplify the learning experience for the elderly.

Head Movement Technology – Catered for the Disabled

Another humanized technology that can be used as an example for new tech startups is head movement tracking technology. Technology developers such as Madentec and NaturalPoint are using head movement technology to enable the physically disabled to move your mouse by moving your head in a certain way. Just place a reflective sensor dot on your head, which will then trigger the movements of the mouse when you move your head.

As technology advances, it is important that the core for the creation of technology in the first place – user experience and utilization of the technology is not lost. You will not be able to fully utilize what you do not understand and this is an important reminder that future tech start-ups should keep in mind when they create the next innovative technological device.