What do you do if your organization lacks a long-term vision for Augmented Reality (AR)?

An organisations culture or alignment to any technology such as AR is really based on the leadership team and the companies history. So an organisation without an AR strategy likely has leaders who don’t believe in the tech, has never used the technology or had failed projects in this space. The key to changing attitudes is identify use cases that actually add benefit to the organisation and secure an executive sponsor. First, bring this exec on the journey with the tech through benefits analysis, demos & success stories. Then, use this sponsor to secure time and budget to experiment, measure the success of the project and share the findings across the organisation. This should be the start in changing the orgs attitude towards AR.

Firstly, assess your organization's current understanding and use of AR by conducting surveys with stakeholders. Gauge their AR-related needs, expectations, and hurdles. Do market research on your competitors and best industry practices for AR use, identifying your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in this area. This allows for a clear understanding of your organization's AR maturity and readiness, helping pinpoint areas that need development. Next, craft a forward-thinking AR strategy, focusing on sectors that can drive most growth. Finally, allocate necessary resources and ensure company-wide involvement for successful implementation, thus establishing a robust and long-term vision for AR in your organization.

En este momento, considero que la ausencia de una visión a largo plazo para la Realidad Aumentada no es la prioridad más urgente. Dada la situación política y económica actual del país, es crucial centrarse en atender otras necesidades primordiales, como mantener las ventas, asegurar la rentabilidad y preservar los empleos. Creo firmemente en la importancia de tener una visión a largo plazo, pero también reconozco que existen momentos específicos en los que debemos priorizar ciertas acciones sobre otras

From a technical perspective, employees need to acquire skills in areas such as augmented reality development, 3D modeling, and user experience design. This may involve investing in training programs, hiring specialized talent, or partnering with external experts to build internal capabilities. However, mindset shifts are equally important for driving adoption and acceptance of AR within the organization. Employees should be encouraged to embrace a culture of curiosity and adaptability, where they are open to exploring new technologies and experimenting with innovative solutions.

Todo depende del nivel de evolución de tu organización. Existen etapas en las que puedes evolucionar disruptivamente con RA, sobretodo si la integras con IA, sin embargo, por más brillante que sea tu idea, si no tienes la palanca financiera para invertir en MKT para divulgarla, esta solo quedará como una "bonita idea". Es innegable también que la RA es una tecnología inmersiva que debe estar bajo el radar de los EMPRENDEDORES, ya que su utilización, cada vez será más fácil y accesible. Pueden empezar explorando los diferentes usos en los que ya se emplean y aplicarlos a su organización.

It's important to understand why your company wants to pursue augmented reality. Technology shouldn't be used just for the sake of it, but it should be the solution for a need of the company. So assess what are the needs of your company and how augmented reality can fulfill them. If AR is truly what you need, then understand what features of AR are needed for the company now and in the future. Prepare a roadmap and show it to your whole team

AR, VR, XR and now spatial computing...they are tools, not goals. Wonderful tool though. But it has to find its use and the other supporting tools (AI, IoT, 5G...) to adress a specific "pain point" in the company operations. If the project team believe these tools are the way to go and have a clear vision of the challenges, they have to make the validation path as clear as possible with clear success milestones for the stakeholders.

Easiest way to start is to define goals using an approach. With focused AR goals, you can build a compelling vision for the future. For example using the SMART framework. - Specific: What problem will AR solve? - Measurable: Track user engagement or revenue increase. - Achievable: Consider resource limitations. - Relevant: Align with business goals. - Time-bound: Set deadlines for milestones.

I've approach this by stepping back and thinking of phrasing it around a broader theme of immersive learning, as opposed to to a certain type. This enables the collection of stakeholders who would need similar organizational infrastructure. Then (very importantly) map how this will link and enable other organisational strategies. If the immersive learning strategy (plan) is an enabler for wider strategic goals then it will make the resourcing, planning and pilots easier to position.

If you are the CTO of the company, you must be informed about the evolution of the technologies used by your company. For instance, I'm keeping myself up to date by reading the most relevant magazines of the sector and being involved with the XR communities on social media. Once you know what are the likely evolution of the technology, and you know what are the goals of your company, you can prepare a roadmap for your product, with the different stages of integration of AR. This roadmap should be shown to all the stakeholders of your company so you are all aligned on the same mission.

Most companies don't have the time, resources, skillsets and adequate network of external advisors (in the form of agencies of all sort or professional consulting firms) that can create, iterate and excute against a broad Innovation Roadmap (of which AR should be a key constituent). The first step I would recommend would be to hire a small in-house team tasked exclusively to research and devise what the right Innovation plan (or narrowed to just VR/AR if those technologies have demonstrated to add value to that specific business category) for the business is and, secondly, start delivering and iterating against it. Time horizon (and associated KPI) should be on a 3 to 5 years time horizon, with sprints and iterations every 6-9 months

Create an AR roadmap and action plan to guide your organization's long-term vision.Assign roles and responsibilities using the RACI matrix and analyze internal and external factors with a SWOT analysis. Develop strategies to leverage strengths and opportunities while mitigating weaknesses and threats. This detailed plan will provide clear steps and timelines for implementing AR initiatives effectively.

As a CTO, I've learned the hard way that communication is crucial inside a company. You must show the tech roadmap and tech strategy you have prepared with all the stakeholders of the company, get their feedback and improve it. Then show again the final version to everyone: it is important that everyone is aligned on the same vision so that all people of the company can row in the same direction.

Communication is key in any development effort that is jointly carried out across the whole range of stakeholders; however, for new immersive technologies like AR this point cannot be emphasized enough. Even though this technology has been around for several years, potential users may still not have enough experience to even imagine the utility and envision meaningful use cases. One approach that works particularly well are brainstorming sessions coupled with real-life hackathons. For instance, participants can conceptualize ideas for spatial User Interfaces which can then be really quickly developed using existing AR tools aor even inside game engines like the Unreal Engine and deployed to a device on the spot for showcasing.

Keep your stakeholders informed and involved throughout your AR journey. Share your vision, plans, and progress with them regularly. Encourage feedback and participation in project activities.Utilize various communication tools and methods, such as online forums and webinars. Offer incentives and recognition to encourage stakeholder engagement. Building strong relationships with stakeholders is key to the success of your AR initiatives.

Assess Current AR Use: Check how much your organization currently knows and uses AR. Talk to employees and customers to understand their needs and challenges with AR. Set Clear Goals: Decide what you want to achieve with AR. Make goals that are specific and time-bound. Create an AR Plan: Develop a detailed plan that includes steps, resources, and timelines for reaching your AR goals. Engage Stakeholders: Keep everyone in the loop. Share your AR vision and plan with all stakeholders and ask for their input. Monitor Progress: Regularly check how well the AR projects are doing. Use data analysis to see if they meet your goals.

When an organization lacks a long-term AR vision, it’s crucial to adapt and innovate based on evaluation outcomes. In my leadership roles, leveraging agile methodologies has enabled continuous adaptation and innovation in AR strategies. Updating goals and exploring new AR technologies are essential to stay competitive. Incorporating design thinking and lean principles also fosters a culture of innovation, ensuring the AR strategy remains dynamic and sustainable. This proactive approach not only bridges gaps but also aligns with evolving market demands, securing a robust future for AR initiatives.

As I mentioned before, each "sprint" or milestone previously set against the POC or test (part of the broader 3-5 years plan), should be evaluated, adapted and continued/stopped (depending on the results) every 6-9 months, with shorter period of time suitable depending on the concrete use-case being tested. In marketing specific use-cases, for example, a company that hasn't tested AR yet, should do so by looking at the different technologies available to launch mobile AR marketing/education/brand building activities (in conjunction with its broader multi-channel marketing mix) and test specifically against: -native AR as part of existing mobile Apps (when relevant) -webAR -social AR

Don't improvise, have a mid-to-long term approach and hire the right people with the right, demonstrated skillsets (whether as FT employee, individual consultants or external companies). Make sure to assess that they have hands-on experience not only in divulging concepts and ideas, but also in executing/building and shipping real world products and experiences to real users.

Augmented reality is a valuable tool, but not a necessity for every organization. Senior technology leaders in your organizations should understand its business benefits for corporate, marketing, and product applications, and adopt AR solutions strategically as needs arise. I wouldn't try to force AR into a business application that does not require it.