Introduction

A U.S. company famous for its instant messaging app is currently developing two next-generation hardware pieces — a pair of augmented reality lenses and a hands-free ‘selfie’ stick/drone.  Wanting to ensure that each piece provided an engaging, user-friendly experience, we’re partnering with the company to test the products and identify potential areas of improvement prior to launch.

New Ventures

Our customer developed proofs of concept for two new hardware functions, both rooted in one of its core business offerings of image instant messaging.

■ Augmented Reality Glasses: Each product is outfitted with lenses that users can slip on and immerse themselves in an AR experience. For example, someone could put the glasses on, sit down at a piano, and engage in a piano-playing tutorial.

■ Hands-Free Camera: The next evolution of the 'selfie stick,’ this drone follows users around, taking filtered or unfiltered photos and short videos in the process.

Innovation Validation

Since 2021, our 7-person team has been assessing both prototypes to identify any lingering flaws and growth opportunities. Working in 2-week sprints, our assessments included:

■ Operational Flow Assessment: Our team automates these tests, running several scenarios to make sure the core functionalities flow as they should.

■ Heat Maintenance: Specific to the AR lenses, we test how much heat they generate with the hopes of minimizing product lag.

■ Phone/Device Syncing: Each prototype will connect to the parent company app, so testing is done to make sure components synced up to one another and communication between the two devices is streamlined. 

■ Video Quality/Battery Life: Our tests sought to ensure the camera’s picture quality remained high, even if battery power is low. As for batteries, we test each product to gauge its run time so users could be advised on when to charge each item.

Relationship Building

Our partners received insights from our team in a timely manner, allowing them to remain on schedule toward the go-to-market date. Furthermore, our team’s willingness to keep communication open and maintain high standards of quality assurance continue to instill confidence in the client and strengthen the partnership as the development cycle persists.