2017 North American Augmented Reality ... - Frost & Sullivan

2017 North American Augmented Reality Technology Innovation Award

BEST PRACTICES RESEARCH

Contents Background and Company Performance ...................................................................................... 3 Industry Challenges ........................................................................................................... 3 Technology Attributes and Future Business Value .................................................................. 3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 5 Significance of Technology Innovation ........................................................................................ 6 Understanding Technology Innovation ........................................................................................ 6 Key Benchmarking Criteria ................................................................................................. 7 Technology Attributes ........................................................................................................ 7 Future Business Value ........................................................................................................ 7 Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices ...... 8 The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards ..................................... 9 Research Methodology ....................................................................................................... 9 About Frost & Sullivan .............................................................................................................. 9

© Frost & Sullivan 2017

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“We Accelerate Growth”


Background and Company Performance Industry Challenges There is a growing trend towards open office arrangements. These are offices that, instead of having cubicles or enclosed offices, have open seating with collaborative work surfaces, small seating areas and first come-first serve desks.

They are designed to enhance

collaboration and interaction, however they are also noisy and discordant and can introduce significant interruptions to the employee who is trying to work in a focused way. To encourage collaboration and innovation, an open office may be a good idea, but innovation depends on individual creativity and that requires, in many cases, solitude. Yet, business has invested billions of dollars in the US alone to rework office space to support open flexibility. How is a company going to reap the benefits of an open office while supporting the individual worker, who may need an interruption free environment? To date, the answer has been the introduction of sound deadening white noise or the use of personal headphones. White noise, though, can be health impacting since it doesn’t really eliminate noise; it masks it with a constant background hiss. People exposed to this constant hiss have reported chronic headaches and other symptoms of noise saturation. Headphones, on the other hand can be a very good way to insulate a person from background noise, but they effectively make a person unaware of the local environment and can be distracting themselves, if fed with a music source. The solution seems to be the introduction of a natural source of sound that is managed through an environment-aware analytics engine.

Until recently, this solution was much

too complex and expensive to consider for most offices.

Plantronics, though, has

introduced its Habitat Soundscape solution which breaks the cost gap with a new approach that provides aural isolation that is situationally aware and which does not overwhelm the senses of the open office employee.

Technology Attributes and Future Business Value Plantronics’ Habitat Soundscaping service enables a distraction free environment by, counter intuitively, introducing into the work space a natural source of sound coupled with immersive visuals that enable the human brain to focus without fatigue. This approach is based on the science of biophilics (literally the “love of nature”) that has shown that humans thrive in environments that mimic nature, like listening to the sound of water running, compared to artificial man-made sounds. Coupled with visuals that correspond to the background sound, people find that their environment is much more amenable to individual work as well as improved impromptu small team collaboration.


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Industry Impact Businesses in the US spent $143 billion on new office space in 2016, according to Statista. Much of this investment was devoted to reconditioning old offices from cubicle cities to more open work spaces.

These work spaces, designed to support collaboration, have

instead led to increasing absenteeism and work-related stress.

The potential for

soundscaping to enable a more effective use of the open work space is enormous. Best Practice Example: Studies have shown that introducing biophilic elements into the office can reduce absenteeism

by

10%

(Elzeyadi,

2011).

Plantronics

experienced

this

phenomenon

organically in their headquarters after deploying their Habitat Soundscaping solution. When translated into improved productivity and additional opportunity, this is a substantial number. In fact, this amounts to far more than the cost of such a service and when combined with the potential for improved employee creativity, can be the difference between being an innovative company and not being competitive at all. Product Impact Innovation is the driver of business in the 21st Century. The only thing that matters is the generation of good ideas that lead to innovative new product offerings.

Yet, innovation

depends on individual creativity, and individual creativity is highly dependent on the ability to focus. Although there are white noise generators on the market that purport to mask background noise, they do not promote the sort of focus and comfort level necessary to ideate. The Habitat Soundscape service, by providing an immersive aural and visual experience enables people to ignore background noise; thus providing solitude in the midst of a noisy open office. Best Practices Example: Habitat Soundscape leverages the science of biophilics to reduce the overhead associated with interrupting noise events. This leads to an increase in focus as well as an increase in personal productivity and creativity. Visionary Innovation In spite of its early infatuation with open office environments, American business is beginning to wonder if open offices are worth the investment necessary to build them. Recent peer reviewed studies suggest that an open office may actually decrease employee morale and increase absenteeism. Yet businesses have made major investments in open offices; investments that have yet to be totally recouped. Plantronics has developed an office noise solution that will enable businesses to capture the value in innovation and collaboration originally expected from open offices, while maintaining personal productivity and creativity—a synergistic melding of traditional walled and open office arrangements. Plantronics saw a problem, asked the right questions and developed a creative solution. © Frost & Sullivan 2017

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Application Diversity The Habitat Soundscape service, although ostensibly a noise mitigation technology, is much more than that.

It utilizes advanced analytics to ascertain areas that require

mitigation. In a very real sense it makes the office environment, as well as the people in it, a component part of a business internet of things (IoT). Thus any application that depends on knowing the state of a workforce—applications such as physical security, environmental management, and lighting management—may be able to benefit from the telemetry provided by Habitat Soundscape analytics. Customer Acquisition With

virtually

every

large

enterprise,

library

and

campus

facility

utilizing

open

collaboration spaces, Habitat Soundscape has no lack of potentially willing customers. In the opinion of Frost & Sullivan, Plantronics’ opportunity is limited only by its marketing efforts. Technology Licensing Plantronics has a considerable opportunity to license its Habitat Soundscape technology. In particular military applications such as naval vessel sound mitigation, installation environmental management, and other high noise environments would benefit from soundscaping. Additionally, futuristic applications of this technology include such areas as space habitat sound mitigation and deep sea habitats, where noise pollution from fans and other life support systems is a serious concern.

Conclusion Plantronics has identified a significant business problem and then applied cutting edge technology to address that problem. Its Habitat Soundscape service allows businesses to reap the rewards of open office spaces while minimizing the problems associated with them. With its strong overall performance, Plantronics has earned Frost & Sullivan’s 2017 Technology Innovation Award for Augmented Reality.


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Significance of Technology Innovation Ultimately, growth in any organization depends upon finding new ways to excite the market and upon maintaining a long-term commitment to innovation. At its core, technology innovation, or any other type of innovation, can only be sustained with leadership in three key areas: understanding demand, nurturing the brand, and differentiating from the competition.

Understanding Technology Innovation Technology innovation begins with a spark of creativity that is systematically pursued, developed, and commercialized. That spark can result from a successful partnership, a productive in-house innovation group, or a bright-minded individual. Regardless of the source, the success of any new technology is ultimately determined by its innovativeness and its impact on the business as a whole.


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Key Benchmarking Criteria For the Technology Innovation Award, Frost & Sullivan analysts independently evaluated two key factors—Technology Attributes and Future Business Value—according to the criteria identified below.

Technology Attributes Criterion 1: Industry Impact Requirement: Technology enables the pursuit of groundbreaking ideas, contributing to the betterment of the entire industry. Criterion 2: Product Impact Requirement: Specific technology helps enhance features and functionalities of the entire product line for the company. Criterion 3: Scalability Requirement: Technology is scalable, enabling new generations of products over time, with increasing levels of quality and functionality. Criterion 4: Visionary Innovation Requirement: Specific new technology represents true innovation based on a deep understanding of future needs and applications. Criterion 5: Application Diversity Requirement: New technology serves multiple products, multiple applications, and multiple user environments.

Future Business Value Criterion 1: Financial Performance Requirement: Potential is high for strong financial performance in terms of revenues, operating margins, and other relevant financial metrics. Criterion 2: Customer Acquisition Requirement: Specific technology enables acquisition of new customers, even as it enhances value to current customers. Criterion 3: Technology Licensing Requirement: New technology displays great potential to be licensed across many sectors and applications, thereby driving incremental revenue streams. Criterion 4: Brand Loyalty Requirement: New technology enhances the company’s brand, creating and/or nurturing brand loyalty. Criterion 5: Human Capital Requirement: Customer impact is enhanced through the leverage of specific technology, translating into positive impact on employee morale and retention.


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Best Practices Recognition: 10 Steps to Researching, Identifying, and Recognizing Best Practices Frost & Sullivan analyst follows a 10-step process to evaluate Award candidates and assess their fit with select best practice criteria. The reputation and integrity of the Awards are based on close adherence to this process. STEP Monitor,

1 target, and screen

OBJECTIVE

KEY ACTIVITIES

OUTPUT

Identify Award recipient candidates from around the globe

• Conduct in-depth industry research • Identify emerging sectors • Scan multiple geographies

Pipeline of candidates who potentially meet all bestpractice criteria

Perform comprehensive, 360-degree research on all candidates in the pipeline

• Interview thought leaders and industry practitioners • Assess candidates’ fit with best-practice criteria • Rank all candidates

Matrix positioning of all candidates’ performance relative to one another

2

Perform 360-degree research

Perform in-depth examination of all candidates

• Confirm best-practice criteria • Examine eligibility of all candidates • Identify any information gaps

Detailed profiles of all ranked candidates

3

Invite thought leadership in best practices

4

Initiate research director review

Conduct an unbiased evaluation of all candidate profiles

• Brainstorm ranking options • Invite multiple perspectives on candidates’ performance • Update candidate profiles

Final prioritization of all eligible candidates and companion best-practice positioning paper

5

Assemble panel of industry experts

Present findings to an expert panel of industry thought leaders

• Share findings • Strengthen cases for candidate eligibility • Prioritize candidates

Refined list of prioritized Award candidates

Build consensus on Award candidates’ eligibility

6

Conduct global industry review

• Hold global team meeting to review all candidates • Pressure-test fit with criteria • Confirm inclusion of all eligible candidates

Final list of eligible Award candidates, representing success stories worldwide

7

Perform quality check

Develop official Award consideration materials

• Perform final performance benchmarking activities • Write nominations • Perform quality review

High-quality, accurate, and creative presentation of nominees’ successes

8

Reconnect with panel of industry experts

Finalize the selection of the best-practice Award recipient

• Review analysis with panel • Build consensus • Select recipient

Decision on which company performs best against all best-practice criteria

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Communicate recognition

Inform Award recipient of Award recognition

• Present Award to the CEO • Inspire the organization for continued success • Celebrate the recipient’s performance

Announcement of Award and plan for how recipient can use the Award to enhance the brand

Upon licensing, company is able to share Award news with stakeholders and customers

• Coordinate media outreach • Design a marketing plan • Assess Award’s role in future strategic planning

Widespread awareness of recipient’s Award status among investors, media personnel, and employees

10

Take strategic action


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The Intersection between 360-Degree Research and Best Practices Awards Research Methodology Frost & Sullivan’s 360-degree research methodology

represents

the

360-DEGREE RESEARCH: SEEING ORDER IN THE CHAOS

analytical

rigor of our research process. It offers a 360-degree-view of industry challenges, trends, and issues by integrating all 7 of Frost & Sullivan's research methodologies. Too

often

growth

companies

decisions

understanding

of

make

based

on

their

important a

narrow

environment,

leading to errors of both omission and commission. Successful growth strategies are founded on a thorough understanding of market, technical, economic, financial, customer, best practices, and demographic analyses. The integration of these research disciplines into the 360-degree research methodology platform

provides

for

an

evaluation

benchmarking

industry

participants and for identifying those performing at best-in-class levels.

About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages more than 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses, and the investment community from 45 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com.


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