Smart watches and the whole category of 'wearable
technology' is nothing new but has been given a big boost ever since Apple
launched its (rather underwhelming, in my opinion) version of the gadget late last year. Like with their
previous products such as the iPhone and iPad, it caused various industries to
break into a frenzy to find an application for the gadget within their specific
field.
Alas, what most industries have come up with so far is more
gimmick than true improvement.
In the hospitality industry, some of the big hotel chains
have introduced a smartphone app that lets guests unlock their rooms with a simple swipe - which is genuinely useful and even environmentally friendly. A
smartphone does not count as wearable technology I hear you say? Ah yes, but
when you load that app on your smart watch it is. Tick the box.
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| Westin's RFID wristband |
But more wearable-centric apps are being launched as well.
Westin provides sleep-sensing wristbands that, along with an app, track sleep
patterns and provide virtual coaching. A Spanish hotel chain has launched what
amounts to an updated version of the Club Med's Bar Beads. Their guest bracelets
open guest rooms, pay for meals and automatically enter you in the nightly
raffle. Useful? Maybe. Creepy? Definitely.
Some enthusiasts have said that these new gadgets "utilise
new technology and aid guests’ wellbeing". What's worrying here is the order of
importance: shouldn't the well being of guests come before utilising new
technology?
The Innovation
Dilemma
Every industry is grappling with the innovation dilemma: how
much innovation do I need to introduce at what point in time to stay relevant
and competitive without annoying my customers?
Take the automotive industry. It's not only Google's
driverless cars that are set to radically change the way we view cars. All
major car manufacturers have set up shop in Silicon Valley with the explicit
aim to innovate the driving experience.
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| BMW's augmented reality glasses |
A recent
article on this topic pointed out BMW’s plans to launch augmented reality
glasses that allow drivers to see through the side of their cars when parking.
While this may be useful if reverse parking is giving you nightmares, the
article warned that “the auto industry must be careful not to overhype the
importance of some of these innovations and lose focus on what matters to
consumers most." This specific device seems to be the equivalent of
Westin's virtual coaching wristband — do you really need it?
Innovate it and they
will come... but when?
It's not that innovation in itself is incapable of
delivering the spark that turns the invention into something genuinely and
ground-breakingly useful. But the cause and effect might not always be
immediate - far from it.
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| Graphene: extraordinary properties - limited use |
A great article in the New
Yorker on graphene made this very
clear. Graphene is a feted material that has amazing properties but aside from
tennis rackets, no one has yet worked out what it can be used for. That article
also quoted the graphene of the 18th century, aluminium, which had a lowly existence as the material pots and pans are made of before the advent of
aerodynamic flight finally gave it its truly innovative purpose.
What this shows is that innovation exists in a larger
context that includes not only technical capability, but also socio-economic
and cultural influences. It is only when all these stars align that true,
groundbreaking innovation takes place - and it may take a very long time after the
discovery is made for it to occur.
Meanwhile, there's nothing wrong with tinkering with all of
these new technologies, as long as it doesn't compromise the core experience
for the consumer.
Or, to quote Gül Heper commercial manager of Swedish hotel
brand HTL in an
article on wearable technology: “It has to be relevant; it has to be
engaging; and it has to be something that makes the hotel experience much
better and on the best terms. We try to remove all the gimmicks.”
