Smart Glasses Don’t Have to Look so Bad
By: Adam Masters
Tags: Technology, Smart Glass, Fashion Technology, Wearables, Augmented Reality

Even though Glass failed to click with consumers, writing off the whole category of consumer smart glasses is misguided. Microsoft, Amazon, Google (again), Snap, Facebook, and Magic Leap are working on some form of consumer smart glasses (or headsets). Apple most recently announced that they’re working on their own smart glasses, aiming to release them in 2023. All of these devices promise to augment the world around us and hope to replace our phones by allowing people to speak to and look through these lenses to gain information.

Yet there is a tension remaining, forcing a divide in the field of smart glasses. One side sacrifices wearability and fashion to show off the unbridled potential of augmented reality. The other tones down the augmenting functionality to boost the device’s physical appearance, making a device that looks and feels more like normal eyewear.

So, how can these companies make smart glasses not only socially acceptable but also desirable? It’s pretty simple:

Take a fashion-first, technology-second approach and focus (initially) on form over function.

First, just consider the unique characteristics of head-worn products. These devices are incredibly tricky because people assign a lot of attributes to wearing something on their face. Doing so says something about their personality, and communicates an intentional message to those around them. While fashion is no stranger to trends, in the end, it boils down to an expression of individual taste that’s fueled by an immeasurable amount of options.

Many early smart glasses were built with function in mind, pushing aesthetic and form to be a secondary consideration. Yet, the glasses we wear are an intentional, emotional decision, very much at odds with typical consumer electronics. As glasses are such a personal and customizable object, companies must reverse their approach. Start with form — something that is discreet and optimal for everyday wear — then work on the functionality.

Consider the smartwatch market as an example. Both smartwatches and smart glasses are technology-enabled products bringing value to consumers in a category historically lacking in consumer-focused technological innovation. The winning strategy is to make a product that can be worn all-day and whose functionality will evolve over time. Apple Watch outsold conventional watch brands such as Rolex and Omega within just three years of being launched.

Approach One: Build In-House

One option is simply to attempt to build stylish and appealing smart glasses in-house. Take North, for example. These smart glasses are designed to look like any other pair of normal glasses, and it might even take your friend 10 minutes to realize they’re not. There are 90-different styles and they take a 3D scan of your face, which they use to can custom build each frame. Rather than take over what you see, North displays small, glanceable information such as text messages or directions that you can view, act on, or dismiss. These are helpful features, yet don’t push the limits of AR to uphold the glasses’s sleek design. A prime example of form over function.

Approach Two: Collabs and Partnerships

Additionally, companies can partner with third-party eyewear brands to launch glasses in a wide variety of styles. Take Facebook who has reportedly partnered with Ray-Ban parent company Luxottica to develop augmented reality glasses code-named “Orion”. This collaboration between credible, sought after brands will attract the masses to the product — techies and fashionistas alike. For a product that is part technology and part fashion, a partnership like this allows each stakeholder to play to their strengths.

Approach Three: Opensource Hardware Kit

Finally, companies could take an even more radical approach — making the smart glasses hardware an open source kit. For example, Google or Microsoft could release a small hardware kit accessible to any company for them to make smart glasses. Typical electronics manufacturers would still produce the products, but this type of kit would spur a completely new wave of designer manufacturers. High fashion icons such as Gucci would likely design a pair, and who’s to say retail stores like Costco or Target won’t create whole new lines of the product at a price point for the masses.