A couple weeks ago, we received a sparkly new pair of the much-hyped Snapchat Spectacles. It was just in time for CONEXPO-CON/AGG (a huge construction industry trade show in Las Vegas), and we couldn’t wait to give them a whirl. Here’s a few things we learned about these trendy new sunglasses.
Clients loved the Spectacles
The Snapchat Spectacles were definitely a novelty – and a lot of our clients were excited to try them out. Some couldn’t wait to take selfies in them to make their teenagers jealous.
Pairing on multiple devices isn’t seamless
Pairing them to your phone was a relatively simple process, but we hit a few snags when trying to toggle between accounts and pair them with multiple phones. Like most companies, several people are responsible for social media here at Flint, so we could see some improvements in the ability pair with several devices.
The directions are sparse
When troubleshooting issue number 2, we noticed that detailed directions and FAQs were missing in the instructions. Part of Snapchat’s appeal to young users is how confusing it can be to “olds”, but our user experience with Spectacles’ vague instructions was less than stellar. Maybe the lack of helpful instructions is because the product is new and Snapchat isn’t sure what pain points customers will have with regards to the product? In any case, the directions (or lack thereof) left something to be desired.
We love the circular video format (and the sound)
Videos taken with Snapchat Spectacles have a circular format that feels innovative and slightly more polished and professional than other mobile videos. The sound is also surprisingly good.
Convenience
How many times have you been a witness to something interesting and you can’t quite get your phone out in time to document it? It has happened to me on several occasions. Wearing the Spectacles gave us instant access to a camera and made it more convenient to document and capture content. The videos appear directly in your Snapchat app, making posting incredibly easy.
That said, we found it challenging to separate the videos because they get lumped together by day. Separating them is likely possible, just not something we’ve uncovered how to do yet.
They’re awkward at times
Sometimes it’s not appropriate to wear sunglasses. When you’re inside, at dinner or during the evening hours, it feels silly to be wearing sunglasses. Also, the sunglasses didn’t fit everyone’s face and looked ridiculous on a few Flintsters (myself included). A small price to pay to curate great content, but will likely limit the amount some will use them. For those who already wear glasses, the Spectacles also posed a problem.
With any new tool or technology, it takes some time to figure out how to get the most of it. Incorporating the Spectacles into our daily social media routines will likely sort out most of the kinks. Follow us on Snapchat to see how we use our Spectacles – username: flintgroup.