Some people thought it was going to be a big innovation in wearable technology, but it turns out to be a deception. When I saw the promotion video when it was released (oktober 2013), I found it hard to image how this ring could make my digital easier… The Ring form Japanese company Logbar started promising with a promo video that triggered a lot of donations on Kickstarter.
Controlling your mobile device with a simple gestures gave you magic powers, but in reality the user experience is a big big disaster. The hardware is unattractive and bulky; the software gives you headaches and it has an outrageous $269 price tag. The ring is supposed to give you easy acces to the functions of your phone, but you first need to unlock the phone, start the app and only then it’s extending your device… if it works that is… Customers tried the gadget over and over again, but it actually registers only 5 % of the gestures made, making it a really negative experience.
Some more prototyping and user testing would have been nice perhaps, maybe I’ll try the second iteration…