• 70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy or are working on one, according to ZDNet.
• VP of Engineering for OnLogic, Michael Kleiner, has stated that digital transformation is about how technologies solve issues rather than simply adopting them – he is quoted to have said that digital transformation requires the company to try a new process rather than the right technology.
• Drew Falkman, Director of Strategy at Modus Create (digital transformation consulting company), is quoted to have said that the definition of digital transformation varies depending on the organisation, therefore innovation and adaptability are vital for keeping companies competitive and disruptive.

Tips for starting your digital transformation:

• After coming up with your own definition of digital transformation, start with identifying and aligning on a goal; e.g. looking for places with measurable ROI, with high impact but relatively low effort.
• The starting point will vary across industries, although organisations that acknowledge a requirement for transforming how they conduct business will generally find a reduction in efficiency, leading to an impact on their bottom line.
• Other key starting points include: adopting agile methodology, devops adoption, and cloud transformation, and upgrading to an improved operational software.
• Businesses should ask themselves, ‘how can we improve this, and what data do we need to improve it?’ – for example, the manufacturing industry has benefited greatly from digital transformation as it began identifying how factory floors could become more efficient and smarter by deploying predictive models and downtime monitoring.

The article concludes by reiterating that where you start, and how well you adapt to change matters.

Falkman recommends starting out with a pilot to work out the kinks if you are considering larger transformations. Kleiner also suggests starting out small, such as identifying an obvious efficiency gap and determining an easy solution, before working up to bigger transformations.

This is all great advice. The AREA also guides for getting started if Augmented Reality technology is the way forward for your organization.

Proof of Concept time

At this point you will not be making final decisions as you will presumably plan a Proof of Concept project to test the hardware, the software and to validate your project hypotheses and your financial projections. Your first step will be to shortlist the two or three smart glasses of most interest to you and analyse them based on a series of criteria. You may choose to summarise and analyse these in a comparison table.

Smart glasses in various forms have been under development for many years now and the web is full of commercially-available choices. As a result, it is important to have a clear idea of the criteria to use when selecting your hardware.

Think about your people first!

First and foremost, as everyone will have told you, it is always about the use case and the application! But while you keep that front of mind how should you conduct your evaluation to identify the best product for your needs? The choice of hardware can appear daunting but let’s start by asking some simple questions.

For how long will the glasses be worn by the user every week?

In what environment will your staff use them? Light, noise, dust, personal safety risks?

Will all users be carrying out the same job or will the application vary in some cases?

What level of tech support will your individual people require as they adopt this new technology?

Which “must-have” requirements are critical in terms of functionality for your specific project application? Don’t be distracted by other “nice to have” features.

Three key comparison criteria

In order to make the case for your product proposal, let’s identify the main factors you should think about. It’s useful to put a structure around the selection process, breaking everything down into three main areas to consider.

1. PEOPLE COMFORT/FIT. If the glasses are not comfortable and easy to wear, your project investment is going to face some resistance. When implementing new technology projects, a company always runs the risk of encountering hurdles and having to overcoming obstacles that slow down the rollout process. Your people need to buy in to the project. This is a simple one but not to be underestimated. Do they feel like normal glasses or not? Will your people be happy to wear them?
2. USER FRIENDLINESS/SAFETY. It goes without saying, it must be easy to interact with the glasses and allow your staff to work efficiently, while having the added advantage of working hands-free with the heads-up display. Do the glasses keep your people safe and minimise work area risks? Are the glasses suitable for the environment they will be exposed to during their useful lifetime? Are they designed for the job?
3. PROJECT FUNCTIONALITY. What is the use case you are planning? What job do the glasses have to do for the operator? It is likely that the smart glasses manufacturer will have examples of similar use cases, so have a conversation about the technical specifications. The smart glasses themselves have a short and quick learning curve and so, with basic training, you should expect your staff to be able to start using the hardware very quickly. This area will also require discussions with software providers.

It’s important to tick all boxes and evaluate all three areas equally to ensure a successful project and happy users!

A useful evaluation framework

Areas To consider                                                                Features to evaluate

PEOPLE COMFORT/FIT

Field of view, display position?                                         Heads Up Display adjustment

Total weight, ergonomic weighting?                                Weight and balance

Ergonomics: nose and temple comfort?                         Adjustable features for all faces

Can prescription or other lenses be fitted?                    Glass lens adaptability

USER FRIENDLINESS/SAFETY

Can “you see what I see” without head tilting?             Camera position

Do the glasses create heat over time?                            Processor location

Are the glasses safe and robust?                                      Frame and glass materials and structure

Are the glasses designed for industrial use?                  Manufacturer’s design, service and tech support

What are the environmental conditions like?               Dust and water proof spec.

FUNCTIONALITY/APPLICATION

Sufficient processing power for your app?                     Processor spec.

Required battery duration?                                               Battery type and battery life

Will you transmit stills and/or video?                              Camera spec.

Will extra lighting or flash be required?                         Flash LED spec.

Will you require image close ups?                                   Optical Zoom Camera spec.

Do you plan to scan bar codes?                                        Bar code scanner spec.

Will you benefit from laser pointing?                              Laser pointer spec.

What software compatibility is required?                      Glasses compatibility

Option of hands-free (voice) controls?                           Microphone spec and voice control

There is a fourth area of comparison which you will obviously evaluate and that is hardware unit cost and the impact the smart glasses will have on total project cost and ROI. As a general rule, smart glasses represent a relatively small percentage of total project cost, in the region of 15%-20%. As a result, it is important to select the optimal hardware partner prioritising performance over cost. Don’t go looking for false savings which can have a negative impact on project success in other areas. In addition, another element of hidden cost to investigate is the technical support and after-sales service provided by your hardware manufacturer.

Firing on all cylinders

We cannot close our discussion without also mentioning the software application which will drive your project and deliver the expected results. Whether it is managing workflows, providing work instructions, connecting remote operators, creating a shared and collaborative work space or other functionalities, your chosen software application must be available with your chosen hardware. You are buying a total solution, not single products. To ensure you achieve peak performance, your final evaluation will be based on the combination of your hardware and software solution together. Strong hardware/software partnerships help ensure your success.

If you are approaching the smart glasses market for the first time, this framework should be of some assistance.

Get helpful tips and learn how to:

• Plan your pilot
• Pick the right use case
• Pick the right AR solution
• Build end-user buy in
• Deploy the pilot
• Assess the outcomes

Download the ultimate guide to AR pilots here to increase your chances of a successful AR pilot that impacts your bottom line and sets you ahead of the competition.

Built from best practices by global leader in secure, reliable and effective industrial AR task support software, Kognitiv Spark. Built for the Microsoft HoloLens, Kognitiv Spark uses proprietary software technology to deliver a premium, mixed and augmented reality solution for maintenance, repair, and remote support. 

The cool demo can result in a so-called “proof of concept purgatory” where enterprises get locked into a sequence of demonstrations but fail to move beyond these to proceed with solution deployment within their businesses.

In keeping with the AREA’s commitment to advancing the AR ecosystem for the benefit of technology suppliers and enterprise users, we believe this is an important consideration to overcome. That’s why we asked AREA members for their perspectives on how best to proceed from the cool demo to enterprise adoption. Here’s what they told us:

Peter Antoniac, CTO, Augumenta:

An industrial AR project should always start with solving a concrete customer problem. A cool demo does not mean it is useful for the end user. A best practice is to start with a clear problem and find a usable and efficient way to solve it for the end user – taking into account all the variables, like device usability, environment, workers habits, and narrow it to the most reliable way possible including picking the best hardware for the deployment. That means working very closely with end users, listening to their feedback, and responding to it as diligently as possible.

Harry Hulme, Marketing and Communications Manager, RE’FLEKT:

Scaling AR solutions into production and breaking through the pilot purgatory is a problem faced by many businesses today. Countless companies are making substantial technological investments but fail to plan correctly before implementation. Like any investment, it is unwise to simply rush in. Instead, you should ensure to optimize AR deployments around the factors that will make or break its success. 

The name of the game is to set up an AR deployment to succeed. That happens by winning over the key stakeholders who can share in its victory (people); solving the biggest operational problems (product); and doing all of the above in ways that are methodical, strategic and follow best practices (process).

The success gained by following these steps will protect your technology investment. After investing time and money in vetting AR, launching pilots and proving its value, that value will only be realized if it’s given the chance to succeed. And once it does succeed, there is real bottom-line value to be gained.

Damien Douxchamps, Head of R&D, Augumenta:

In manufacturing use cases, deployment requires integration with the factory backend, and that’s where the big challenge is. In addition to that, sturdy hardware, reliable applications and means of interaction are needed when the user base increases. With that larger user base also come different people, and the hardware and the software must fit each and every one of them.

David Francis, CMO, Theorem Solutions:

It is commonplace for an organisation that wants to start an XR project to either go to an external agency or to develop a capability in-house as a limited-scope proof-of-concept (PoC). That’s because it is difficult to go “beyond the cool demo” until you know in some detail what you need to do and how XR will benefit your organisation. So, the only way to get the answers is to run a PoC.

The problem with this approach is that the scope of the exercise either hasn’t been fully considered, or it is extremely restricted simply because it is a PoC. Getting buy-in from the senior leadership is difficult as you are trying to get approval for something that hasn’t been tried and tested. Therefore, the budget is usually only sufficient for the one use case that is within the scope of the PoC.  Of course, I have identified these as negatives, but if there is a likelihood that the PoC will not lead onto something bigger, or might fail, then this is the best and most pragmatic approach, isn’t it?  But, what if it doesn’t fail?

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are now technologies and technology partners that can help develop the business case. The technology doesn’t have to be suitable for that one-off PoC.  But, if you develop in isolation (i.e., in-house or with a creative agency) then it probably will be. 

One of the largest problems of using this technology is getting the 3D content into XR in the first place. There are lots of importers on the market that are transactional (i.e., they do conversions one at a time manually), which for a PoC may be fine, but this isn’t scalable.  If, for example, your use case is manufacturing, then you don’t want to be manually importing 3D CAD assemblies every time something changes. You’ll need a scalable, automated process. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with identifying this as a must-have requirement right from the start. Just having some isolated data in XR will not adequately prove that your solution is fit-for-purpose; you’ll only be testing that one aspect.

So you need to really understand why you think you need XR; what is the value to your business and how would you implement it if you weren’t doing “just a PoC”?  In fact, if you don’t do this, then your PoC isn’t really valid. Often, we are so keen to get our project started, that we skip past these steps, and even reduce the scope in order to get just enough money to be able to “have a go” with exciting new technology. You must resist the urge to do this, as whilst this may get your project off the starting block, it will not do you any favours further downstream.

In order to prove the value, you must adequately specify your project to prove the value of all of the requirements.  If, to achieve the business value you require, regular 3D data changes, then specify it.  If you require a collaborative experience, then you must specify it.  Additionally, you must also consider the output device; these things change regularly with new devices popping up on the market every few weeks, so make sure you specify a device-agnostic approach.

Tero Aaltonen, CEO, Augumenta:

Measuring results is vital for making any decisions about continuing to a wider deployment from a pilot. You should make sure that there are proper meters in place to observe the productivity, safety, quality or other factors, so that customers can calculate the ROI based on facts, not opinions and guesses.

There are two common themes that run through these various perspectives from AREA members. The first is that diligence and planning, as in most successful endeavors, are critical to ensure that there is a tangible way forward from the cool demo to enterprise deployment. This can help mitigate any possible perception that the cool demo is simply a dead end. Secondly, ensure that the cool demo adds identifiable business value by solving a problem or enabling an opportunity.

These are just some ideas for getting past the cool demo to full deployment. You can find more ideas and advice at thearea.org.

Have you asked any IT professionals or business managers what they’re doing with Augmented Reality? A small fraction can share how they’ve considered using AR for improving their workplace processes, but most inquiries about how companies are using AR begin with a blank stare and end in frustration.  

The AREA and its members are developing high-quality content that can be the basis of more precise and fruitful dialog than we often have today. Once there is a shared conceptual foundation, we’ll be able to discuss the concrete benefits as well as the risks of introducing Augmented Reality in the enterprise with our audiences.

Explore the Audience Knowledge Level

Casual discussion between acquaintances or between a supplier and a potential customer can’t evolve gracefully if they must begin with deep explanations or clarifications of confusing terminologies. Don’t start with a dry definition. Focus first on either a known or shared challenge or potential benefit and make sure you can squeeze a few terms in casually in the first minutes.

“Isn’t it frustrating that we can’t significantly increase our productivity?” you can inquire. Be specific about the use case, if you can. You can substitute “increasing productivity” with other metrics such as reduce errors, reduce risk or increase safety. Drop in some keywords to make sure they understand that you feel new technologies could help. Avoid buzzwords such as wearables, IoT, Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality in the first five minutes. Try to avoid bringing up Hollywood movies or popular science fiction books that have Augmented Reality.

Then you can say that you’ve heard or that you’re exploring how this new technology could play a role by overlaying digital information on the real world. Let your prospective customer or partner, or whomever you’re speaking to, be the first to mention wearables or AR.

When asked if they’ve heard of it and what they’re doing or planning to do with Augmented Reality, an IT professional will respond in one of two ways. The younger the person, the more likely they are to have heard and understood the potential. That said, they may not have thought to apply it to their job.

“That’s technology for your smartphone. I’ve seen it used in a museum, once” they might say. Then they either describe how the AR experience failed or just didn’t bring value to them.  Such conversations often conclude with the person dismissing the whole idea.

“It’s probably good for entertainment, but we’re not that kind of company,” is not an uncommon conclusion.

A more knowledgeable audience may remember Virtual Reality and the promises it held but didn’t deliver. Then you will need to reprogram them to understand the differences. 

Others will have had no exposure at all to Augmented Reality.

Light Bulb Moment

Once you’ve decided if the conversation is worthy of continuing investment, you’re going to aim for a “light bulb” moment: a look in their eye that shows that the person with whom you’re meeting has had a breakthrough in understanding.

To get to that moment of realization may take several steps. As already suggested, if you’re in conversation with an IT professional or line manager with a lot of engineering experience, you will get there more quickly.

Begin by building upon something very familiar. Everyone has seen and almost all have personally used video conferencing. AREA member David Doral, Director of AERTEC Solutions begins his education process by suggesting that when trying to understand a problem at a remote location, it would be valuable to be able to see things as if from another’s eyes.

“We suggest to the customer that we support the technician in the field or on the shop floor with an expert who is somewhere else,” explains Doral. He doesn’t say where that expert is, but makes it perfectly clear that they are the key to solving a problem and there’s not time for that expert to personally fly to the location. In AR, this use case is known as the “remote expert,” but this term doesn’t need to be introduced.

“Then, if they like this concept, we can suggest that the expert could draw arrows, point or otherwise indicate steps with animations,” continues Doral. “Imagine that the person who is in the field or on the shop floor is providing the remote hands, performing tasks as directed and under the supervision of the expert.”

Up Close and Personal

Another approach to reach a light bulb moment is to demonstrate an Augmented Reality experience right away. Sometimes, this can be performed using a tablet and an object that you’ve brought with you. Choose an object that is likely to be professional and slightly complex in nature but with a very simple user interface, such as a pocket projector. A virtual interface can appear with Augmented Reality to help the user with configuration and operation.

Three-dimensional objects are nice and have a big “wow” factor but a photo will also work well and may have higher performance. Lighting, and reflections on a glossy surface, may have a big impact on your ability to track the target, so test your sample photo or object well before using it. Be sure to give the other person the device to hold and move around, to interact with the content in the experience.

Often people try to simulate this effect, and reduce the risk of failure, by showing a video of an AR experience recording, but your audience will assign lower credibility to a video because they understand that special effects as seen in the movies are now commonplace.  Hasn’t everyone seen Minority Report and Iron Man?

From a shared understanding of the benefits of Augmented Reality, you might be able to progress to talking about a project and the potential of implementing AR in a few use cases.

What techniques have you used to successfully start a conversation about enterprise Augmented Reality?  Share your methods with others in the comments below.