Google’s Glasses: Are People Ready to Change?

Google’s new Project Glass is the stuff that futuristic dreams are made of. Designed by Google[x], Google’s secretive think tank that pushes the boundaries of technical innovation, these augmented reality “glasses” are designed to make interactions with technology nearly seamless. The concept video is fairly impressive (as concept videos tend to be), and many are already imagining possible applications for the new gadget.



The project announcement was greeted with a fair share of enthusiasm, but there is a hefty amount of skepticism as well. Personally, I have several questions: How well do the eye tracking and voice recognition really work? What kinds of physical interactions are still required? And, most importantly, is the general public ready to change its behavior to adopt this kind of wearable, always-present technology?

Behavioral shifts due to technology are nothing new. Throughout history, revolutionary technologies have altered individual lifestyles, cultural patterns, and business processes. However, even without sci-fi concepts being introduced, some of the more recent tech trends are forcing business to change operating behavior. This change signals opportunity for those that are ready to move with the market.

Cloud computing is a good example. CompTIA’s most recent research on the topic indicates that this trend is gaining momentum, and not only because businesses can save money. One of the top drivers for cloud adoption among our sample is the benefit of gaining new capabilities through the use of cloud systems. As businesses take a holistic view of their infrastructure with cloud as an option, there are new possibilities opening up—but it requires rethinking of operational procedures as areas such as reliability and security must be considered in a new light.

Another area where behavior may be inhibiting adoption is unified communications. The market certainly seems to be robust—IDC predicts that worldwide unified communications and collaboration revenue will reach $27.3 billion this year—but early data from CompTIA’s upcoming UC study suggests that end users are not moving far beyond email and voice solutions for communications. The practices of seamlessly using video, moving conversations from one tool to another, and setting presence indicators are not deeply rooted behaviors; so they may not be used even if the technology is available.

Helping change behavior is the type of activity a trusted advisor can assist with. Once a product or service is in place at a client, deep technical knowledge combined with operational know-how can allow a solution provider to educate the workforce and help modify business processes. This will ensure that the full benefit of the product or service is realized, and ultimately there will be a connection to improved business results.

Change is hard. The dilemma that Clayton Christensen defined is the inability to change a business model because it is critical to current success. As he described, though, this leads to a seat on the sidelines while new innovations change the market. With an open approach to new trends and a flexible mindset, businesses can use new technology to get a good view for what the future holds.