The Pursuit of Usefulness

Two questions, just two questions that make us spend over half a decade finding the answers.

1. How can augmented reality be really useful?
2. Does its benefit worth its complexity?

Back in early 2005, the world without iPhone, 3D TV, XBOX360 or even Windows Vista. A few undergraduate kids in Thai university’s lab wrote an augmented reality program as a requirement of finishing their college, without thinking of its benefit, its commercial ability or anything beyond their graduation ceremony.

This is our very first prototype, what do you think?

“Out of the world.” Or perhaps, “What the hell is this?” – Yes, you are right. The later response was the most common question we had got for a few years.

Again, remember that you were still in 2005. Could you find worthy benefits for a device like this? – I couldn’t, until the day I wrote this article, perhaps.

However, our friends still want to commercialize this project. They want to market augmented reality solutions in a form of something beneficial to the world, as a result, Larngear Technology was formed. With optimistic hope and dream, maybe in a tiny corner of the world might find its benefit.

But they didn’t.

It failed, miserably. That year, we didn’t receive a single dollar income.

Rather than giving up, we began to ask ourselves questions after questions and finally added 3 more questions to our list.

1. How can augmented reality be really useful?
2. Does its benefit worth its complexity?
3. Who is our potential client and what is it that they want?
4. Do you really need to wear weird robot mask?
5. How can we increase our credibility?

Immediately, we started addressing the last 2 questions.

4. Do you really need to wear weird robot mask?

R&D was the answer. Technological refinement and the birth of Imaginary Engine 1.0 “Sparrow” solved the first question through great engineering effort. Sparrow was our proud and spectacular achievement. It allowed content producer to produce augmented reality content without programming knowledge. Sparrow served Larngear for hundreds of projects over half a decade.

5. How can we increase our credibility?

The fifth question was harder. Credibility cannot be bought or made. It must be earned. Thus, we set our goals to win various ICT awards. Without customers, we became full-time award hunter.

A few years later, in 2007, our high effort bore fruit. We won a pair of the most important awards, Thailand ICT Awards and Asia Pacific ICT Awards (TICTA & APICTA) for research and development category.

The same year, we invented the first augmented reality-aided learning software and consequently won the 3^rd prize of national innovative business.

This picture pretty much solved our credibility problem. Customers started to pour in and acknowledged our infant business as augmented reality software house. Larngear made its first move into the reality.

The dark cloud passed by and the new darker sky arrived soon after. The business that used augmented reality was almost non-existent in 2007. Without business examples, our clients couldn’t find the need to use our product. They didn’t know our product’s potential, actually they had no idea about it, and consequently the one who decided to try, did not pay very much for it.  We were force to do something else along the way, just to pay for our livings.

3. Who is our potential client and what is it that they want?

We spent 3 more years identifying this puzzle, hunting for work and completed a lot more projects with Sparrow. Our clients were almost completely unrelated and what they want varied by their business structure. However, there was a common ground. Each of them wanted to present something relevant to their business with single reason behind, augmented reality attracted people.

Surprisingly, we sold the power of engaging solely for 3 whole years. Attracting people in marketing events of various kinds or producing showcases at science fairs.

Finally, we conquered the 3^rd question. Our potential clients were marketers and they wanted attraction. Larngear’s first business model was to develop augmented reality customization package for the clients to attractively present their product to their customers.

It’s been half a decade since 2005. Larngear can walk but still cannot run, mostly because the business model was too limited. Our effort for the first company’s event was mostly not reusable with the second company.

We needed to find another way. Once more, we looked back to the question list. The first two questions were yet unanswered.

1. How can augmented reality be really useful?
2. Does its benefit worth its complexity?

At the best timing, the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST) contacted us to create learning media for them – a project that was not a marketing event.

Looking back, we achieved the innovative business title with learning media for chemistry, not only because AR’s attractiveness but also its usefulness.

Yes! It is useful.

We undoubtedly accepted IPST proposal and kicked off the project. It was a tough challenge to collaborate with academic committee and also a government organization. Yet, it was our major milestone gliding into education business.

In 2010, the very first prototype of our learning media, the Earth’s Structure, was done brilliantly. It improved teaching process in various ways. First and foremost, it can display complex concept and abstract in a more concrete way, presenting a never-before-seen approach in education sector. Second, it can draw tremendous attention in the classroom and finally, it can be use as a self-study tool in the library.

In the very same year, we began our first mass production of augmented reality learning media. The first Larngear product that reach the mass, the Earth’s Structure. Over a thousands set were shipped to thousands of schools in Thailand under the co-operation with IPST. That was our first nation-wide success.

With Earth’s Structure overwhelming success, we secured contracts with IPST to develop 5 more learning media titles in 2011 and 5 more in 2012.

This time, we wanted to bring them to the rest of the world. We began English localization and submitted Earth’s Structure to a few contests just to test the response.

Consequently we won Thailand ICT Awards and a Merit Award in Asia Pacific ICT Awards for e-Learning category.

That was a good sign.

1. How can augmented reality be really useful?

The first question was at last solved with the Earth’s Structure. Augmented Reality opened a new educational freedom to every single teacher and student in the world. We were extremely happy with our half a decade performance. But still, in 2011, the last question was still there.

2. Does its benefit worth its complexity?

From numerous marketing events and roadshows experiences during 2007 – 2010, one of the most common responses that we received was “AR was hard to use”. It required many things, sometimes including computer knowledge just to run augmented reality program.

Can we make it easy to use?

This time we focused on complexity and users’ experience. We wanted to create educational AR platforms that do not require technological knowledge. We did not want anyone to change, without any solid guideline. We wanted teachers to keep their unique teaching style while using AR as teaching instruments

We knew we could do better than this.

Imaginary Engine 2.0, Falcon, was built on top of user-focused features. One of which was the Intuitive Control. Users can control our software with the most natural, spontaneous and unsophisticated methods. Thus, solved the last question by eradicating complexity.

In October 2011, Larngear will launch its first global product, the Learngears, with a goal of reducing educational gaps worldwide.

“Every educational gap worth reducing with imagination on your hand.”