First and foremost, I hope all of you, your families, friends, and colleagues are all healthy and safe. “How things have changed” is the understatement of all time; 2020 will likely go down as ‘The year that wasn’t’ by many of us. My condolences to those that have suffered – physically or otherwise – due to the pandemic and my thanks to those who are doing whatever they can to help bring this to and end as quickly as possible.
We are now into the 8th week of social distancing here in the United States and I have given a lot of thought to what my business and the technology industry will look like in the post coronavirus world. Much of my own time has shifted from creating and taking products to market to becoming a technology consumer. As a society, our device usage has shifted back from mobile towards the PC; video conferencing apps and over-the-top streaming video have taken back screen time from mobile games and social media. While we have made great strides as an industry in the last 20 years to usher in digital transformation, there are still many ways to enhance and improve the user experience and adapt to the ‘new normal’ that the post coronavirus world will demand.
Anyone who has seen viral videos of video conferencing bloopers or experienced unstable video or intermittent audio when streaming understands that we are a long way from nirvana in our connected world. The need for social distancing on a long-term basis will surely mean demand for reliable low latency bandwidth, now higher than ever, is not going away. As we slowly start to return to a physically connected society, we are likely to be more cautious than ever when touching keypads and touchscreens in public settings. Going forward, future devices and products we use in our daily routines will have to evolve to become permanent fixtures in our lives in a mainstream way. New products and services will also be needed to address our changing lifestyles and approach to social interaction.
I have been fortunate enough to be part of the development of many high-volume consumer technology products that have gained worldwide adoption and acceptance. Whether by design or by accident, these devices were successful because of a few key factors:
1 - They solved real world problems or offered significant improvements to the status quo. Instead of forcing users into adapting to a new paradigm, they fit in seamlessly into users' lives while enhancing them. PCs, smartphones, and social media platforms are a few examples of revolutionary technologies that greatly expanded the human experience though evolutionary user interaction. 2 - These products were easy to use - companies and engineers were relatively quick to determine how consumers wanted to use these new products, what controls or options were needed, and which ones were not. 'KISS' - keeping it simple stupid - really separated winning products from long forgotten, potentially exciting products and technologies. 3 - End user satisfaction. The most successful companies focused on ensuring that their customers were delighted by their product. The best companies understood that a device is not always perfect for everyone but also understood how to respond when devices fail to meet expectations to build brand loyalty. 4 - Value. Products must be priced properly - when customer benefits are available at the right price, volumes can be far beyond the most optimistic forecasts.
As we look to life beyond Covid-19 we need to understand how those 4 factors will affect requirements for future products. Below is a short list of some immediate examples of areas that are ripe for innovation:
• Health technology - there is a renewed interest in understanding risk factors, real-time health diagnostics, contact tracing, improved telehealth platforms, and fully integrated and connected monitoring platforms have the potential of identifying illnesses early, and potentially reducing the risk of future pandemics. Most of the building blocks for these products already exist, though much work needs to be done in the areas of security, privacy, and access. • Commerce - the eCommerce giants have responded well during the pandemic, but the rush to purchase essentials from the local grocery, get tools for an emergency repair, or to order prepared meals from a restaurant are still in high demand. Tools that give consumers real-time status on stock availability, customer density, and wait times will help consumers better decide where and when to shop to reduce contact risk. • Physical devices - displays, keypads, and other interactive devices will have to change going forward. Voice controlled user interfaces have made great progress, but accuracy and reliability are still the subject of comedy skits and commercials. Whether gesture-based solutions can be effectively commercialized is still a question. Since almost all these devices have both a microphone and a camera, perhaps a new 'two-factor' control methodology can be developed to improve input accuracy. New materials choices - antibacterial coatings and bio-resistant materials, will be a must for future devices that require direct human interaction. • Connectivity - one positive outcome of the pandemic has been the proof point that remote work is viable. We have yet to see the impact on normalized business productivity or GDP, but the ROI in telecommuting vs. reduced office space, less traffic and shorter commute times, and air pollution is clear. If distributed workforces grow in acceptance and remote learning becomes the status quo, the future demands on connectivity are clear. This will be the killer app for mmWave 5G, higher speed internet access and related technologies. • New pricing models. The economic impact of coronavirus is already historic, and likely to be long lived. Consumers have realigned their spending priorities real-time, and big-ticket items appear to be suffering. The need for more value-based products is clear; what is less obvious is how developers can bring these products to market at value given the amount of innovation needed to adjust to our new normal.
Our lives have been forever changed by the coronavirus pandemic, with life events postponed or cancelled, and so many lives lost. I hope you are all doing what you can to stay safe and survive these chaotic times. I remain optimistic that the challenges of 2020 will result in a better world for us in the long term. New products and technologies can give us tools to prevent, manage, and cope with the next global crises. Stay safe.