Role Of Policymaking For The Success And Failure Of Google Glass And ADMS

Question.

Elaborate on the role of policymaking for the success and failure of Google Glass and ADMS, respectively.

Answer.

We will start with the role of policymaking for the failure of Google Glass and then explain further what part policymaking played in the success of ADMS (Advanced Distribution Management System).

Failure of Google Glass

We have already discussed, why we have considered Google Glass as a failed innovation, even though it is a visionary, innovative and a futuristic product. We will recap the same here:

• Designers of Google Glass did not taken into account the importance of average user preferences.
• Google Glass was a much hyped product and its consumers did not find a real-world application for the same thus, making it unusable for an average user in the real world.
• Early adopters of Google Glass did not find any meaningful benefit (value proposition) of the product.
• Cost was also a major concern for end users.
• The battery was too weak and could last only for 2-3 hours at most.
• The processor of the Google Glass was very slow as compared to advanced smartphones.
• Google Glass Explorer was not available for sale on normal retail platform rather it was available for purchase on online platform only (Sales & Marketing Issue).
• Many early users found it was socially unacceptable to wear a spectacle with a build in camera at some places.
• Google Glass continuously emits microwaves radiation near the forehead. Users were concerned about their health and safety.

These below-mentioned policies may have been the main reasons for the failure of Google Glass:

• Privacy & Copyright Policy
• Health & Safety Policy
• Confidentiality & Wiretap Act
• Anti-Piracy Law
• Vehicular Code

The following policies could have been formed and regulated before the final launch of Google Glass which may have assisted in steering away from the above failures:

• Google made the prototype/beta version of this product available only to techies. They should have also tested their products with some non-tech-savvy/tech amateurs which would have given them a better picture of how a normal user would like to use their product. This could have been a major game changer, since it could have helped them better place their product in the market.
• Google could have launched a different version with limited feature and functionality to make this product more viable and cost efficient for all. This could have assisted them in capturing a huge chunk of the market which thought that this product was too expensive and out of reach.
• To overcome the mystery behind their hyped-product and also in order to create value proposition, Google could simply have used digital marketing techniques (most of which they already owned) to inform customers on the benefits and usage of Google Glass.
• Google could have used better hardware resources (battery & processor) to make their product while ensuring cost effectiveness. This could be done by getting cheaper raw materials rather than producing in-house.
• To overcome the failure of marketing and selling the product, Google should not have been over-confident and thought that the early users and social media would create enough buzz for their product. Instead they should have focussed, on targeting their customers using channels such as emails & notifications, social media campaigns etc. They could have also sold this product OTC (Over the Counter) by partnering with hypermarts/supermarts like Target, Walmart etc.
• Privacy laws are very stringent and could be the decline of major technology giants (as seen in many cases). To overcome this, Google could have added the feature of manually disabling the camera of their product.
• Health and safety are a growing concern for end users of technology devices like smartphones, laptops etc. This is an inadvertent issue that is associated with the use of most electronic devices. Companies have still not found any way to overcome the same yet.

Success of ADMS

We will start by reviewing why ADMS was considered a successful innovation, and then go on discussing the role of various policies that enforce the same:

• Provides consistent, coherent and instantaneous; prediction and historical perspectives of the distribution network.
• Requires network controllers, dispatchers, field crews, planning engineers, performance consultants and administrators to work as a team to use the same grid information as operated.
• Common situational knowledge offers effective and reliable grid operations management in the face of a varied and quickly evolving setting.
• Enabling higher network reliability, improved operating effectiveness, decreased operating costs, increased safety and security, regulatory compliance support, better use of assets and integration based on standards.
• Improving the reliability of the whole distribution network.
• Minimizing outage time and interruptions.
• Load Shedding.
• Reduction in overall AT&C (Aggregate Technical and Commercial) losses.
• Bringing out commercial viability.
• Increasing consumer satisfaction.

The below mentioned policies may have been the main reasons for the success of ADMS:

• National Electrical Policy
• Indian Electricity Rule
• Electricity Act 2003
• National Tariff Policy 2016
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
• Energy Distribution Reforms

We could also include various other policies relating to renewable energy. However, they don’t seem to be related to this technology transfer since our product (ADMS) is independent of how the electricity is produced!