Yesterday, I was introduced to technology that not only made me feel like I was a step behind the times, but it also impressed me in equal measure. With the world’s eyes focussing on optical head-mounted displays (OHMDs), such as Google Glass, and the constant fuss surrounding the infinite update that is the iPhone, for those of us who don’t have our finger permanently on the pulse, we may have missed a trick.
From a consumer’s perspective the gadgets are exciting and viable to daily routine, but will they prove to be disruptive in a working environment?
Tablet computers were once part of a technology boom, which apparently signalled the start of a trend that would fade - now they’re in offices and classrooms all over the UK. Hands-free technology has taken a while to make it to the mainstream, but it’s probable that it could make us rethink how day-to-day work is created, and the way we communicate with everyone who’s involved in our sector. For businesses, the possibilities with this technology are endless, but the challenges that they bring could be hard to manage. Businesses aren’t required to wait for the market to become established or for something new to become acceptable.
Trialling new technologies, such as smartwatches, will always come with their ups and downs, but if you find that diamond in the rough then it can be extremely fruitful. The hardest part of bringing something unfamiliar in to a business is establishing the benefits and, more importantly, how it fits within the company processes. Convincing your director that a smartwatch is going to improve business isn’t easy. Introducing unfamiliar technology into unexplored territory can be difficult for the user. But it can be treated in the same way as when you presented them with that state of the art coffee machine – it took a while to learn a few buttons, but damn it tastes good. That’s if you like coffee.
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