This document discusses challenges facing the widespread adoption of wearable technology. It notes that while activity trackers are popular, many people stop using them within months. The document suggests medical uses may have more potential for growth. However, hurdles to mass adoption include finding a compelling mass use case, addressing issues of fashion, technology not being ready, and substitution by other devices. The conclusion advocates joining partnerships and platforms to scale wearables, rather than assuming their adoption is inevitable.

1. Wearables
In search of a
mass use case
Kevin McCullagh
27 November 2014

2. Plan

3. Packaging
Interactions
Product-service strategy
Retail
Digital services
Products

4. 1989

5. Title
Sub-heading

6. Title
Sub-heading

8. £1,765

9. Title
Sub-heading

11. Personal Area Network

12. Multi-part devices

14. IoT & Big data
Utility Safety & security Productivity Well-being Performance Entertainment Creativity
On
person
In bag/
pocket
In/on
vehicle
At home
/work

15. Purple, A Locket for the 21st Century, Artefact

16. Mass market focus

17. Just because we
think it’s cool
doesn’t mean the
masses will buy it

18. Some well established categories

19. Many niches

21. Hurdles
Mass use case
Fashion faux pas
Tech isn’t ready yet
Substitution

22. Section Slide 22
TAictlteiv i1t yl itnrea cking
is not enough

23. Section Slide 23
TDiittlceh 1e dli ndee vices ‘one-third of American
[wearable users] stopped
using it within six
months... while one in
10 American adults own
some form of activity
tracker, half of them
no longer use it..’
‘Inside Wearables’, Endeavour Partners,
January 2014

24. Section Slide 24
Tihtlee m1 alisnse opportunities
may be less sexy
‘wearable medical
devices [are] expected
to grow to $8.3 billion
in the next five years.
‘Wearables are totally failing the people
who need them most’
J.C. Herz, Wired.com 6 November 2014

25. Hurdles
Mass use case
Fashion faux pas
Tech isn’t ready yet
Substitution

29. Purple, A Locket for the 21st Century, Artefact

30. Altruis Cleopatra Ring - Platinum Ringly

31. Hurdles
Mass use case
Fashion faux pas
Tech isn’t ready yet
Substitution

33. Guesstimation
activity trackers are
at best ‘reasonably
accurate’ and no more
effective at nudging
behavior than a $25
pedometer
http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/06/09/
fitnessbands

34. Hurdles
Mass use case
Fashion faux pas
Tech isn’t ready yet
Substitution

37. Moves fitness app

38. Fixed IoT
Hello Sense sleep monitor

39. Tech is not
inevitable
‘ as big a deal as the PC’
Steve Jobs

41. Scale via platforms
and partnerships

42. whatthefuckismywearablestrategy.com

43. We join the dots
@kevinmccull
www.plan.bz