Pain Point 1
Ensuring that the technology and data would be easy to use and consume regardless of technological aptitude.
Overview
Project duration: 3 months (April 23 – July 26, 2013)
Problem
This case study aimed to discover how AR (augmented reality) technology can be utilized in ways not previously considered, such as agriculture. The challenge would be to identify a common, wide-ranging issue in which AR can assist farmers, large and small.
Goal
Provide a new technology solution to aid the agriculture industry diagnose, resolve, and share crop data. The app would aim to diagnose ailments such as disease, pests, and even more common issues around care.
Research
The research conducted for this study involved both in-person and survey requests across the country to establish a baseline position of those within the agriculture profession.
“How easy is it for you to reliably find and access current crop data such as disease, pests, and climate related issues?”
Pain Point 2
Overcoming the lack of a universal, open-source, centralized database for which to communicate nationwide that shares data regarding issues such as disease and pests.
Proposed Iteration
The ideal solution, utilizing Google Glass, was proposed due to it’s unobstructed view and ease of use. Google Glass featured an always-live camera and microphone that would be used analyze a farmer’s crop to recommend care, diagnose issues with disease or pests, and retain all data collected (including relevant data such as current weather conditions) which can then be filtered and disseminated to accessible databases.
Usability Study Findings
Safe to use
The unobstructed view offered by a product such as Google Glass allows farmers to keep keen awareness and a clear view around them. This was an extremely important, key factor as farmers can often work with heavy equipment and/or remote locations where safety is a major factor.
Limited data
As the project is in its infancy, total resource data can be limited, but is growing at a rapid pace as data is aggregated.
Accessibility Considerations
The ability to use the product solution with little to no manual interaction was a key consideration behind the use of Google Glass. The product features and always on camera and microphone for core features and a growing feature set around hand gestures.
Conclusion
While the project is a proof of concept consideration, the idea alone is one that has allowed designers and developers to consider all new avenues of the technology outside the entertainment industry and in to practical, every day use in a wide range of industries.