Brands need to think wearables not only technology serving a function but as a vital part of the way we look. Make your customer look good and you will make it to the mass market. Estimations are that around 50% of future wearable device launches come from Kickstarter projects, and platforms such as MotionX and Android Wear make it possible for even traditional clothing and watch brands to enter the coveted market.
But the real question is not about the enablers but will the companies know how to design around human aspirations? Brands are slowly realizing the power of emotions as 80% of every purchase decision is based on emotion. Brands need to think users beyond as end of chain because there will be ever growing need of personalization that creates competitive advantage in the crowded market. Analysts predicts sales of wearables will grow from 29 million in 2014 to 172 million in 2018, with a spike in 2015.
For OMUUS to work with this sector is as exciting as it was when the mobile phone industry started, in the beginning of our careers. In the beginning the product look was technical and component driven. When the markets mature there is more need to provide self expression, sophisticated design that is designed to human scale and choice architecture. The wearables market quickly matured to design high perceived value and recognizable watch style, however that will not be the end of the process. Apple Watch will be instrumental in taking the wearables market to the next level of growth. If successful, it’ll create a rising tide that will lift the whole market, says Ben Wood CCS Insight’s Chief of Research.
The future of wearables will be in integrating sensors and smart textiles as consumers expect more sensory experiences, super tailored products similar to clothing and intuitive use cases. The answer is not that a perfect solution comes from neither fashion or tech world, but mastering the user focused multidisciplinary way of working. Future Laboratory talks about Emotional Technology that is created with sensorial use of colors, material technologies and finishes to soften the hard edges of technology. As this is our area of expertise we are looking forward to the future of wearables.
Inspirational images from top to bottom: Suunto Essential Copper, Apple Watch, Rebekka Minkoff via Fast Co Design