Tom Guy is chief product officer at Vodafone Smart Tech. An experienced hand in the culture of start-ups, Guy has brought a new dynamism to the company’s newly established product division, a 50-person team that has already made its mark with products like the Curve smart GPS tracker and Curve Bike light & GPS tracker. In particular, Guy has managed to parlay the experience he garnered from being one of the founding members of Hive, and working closely alongside consultants like Yves Béhar, into Vodafone’s new venture. ‘Vodafone realized the opportunities that were coming out of the Internet of Things and they wanted to connect people,’ Guy explains, ‘Our challenge is to bring a new level of attention to the products. At Hive we were obsessed with quality and customer experience and that’s exactly what we’re doing here. It’s not about technology for technology’s sake.’
Guy admits that the Internet of Things hasn’t always been easy to understand. ‘The customer expectation has sometimes been higher than what the tech provides,’ he says, giving the example of a smart light bulb that requires someone to get out their phone and open an app just to turn a light on. ‘Vodafone had a roadmap of projects but also some clear customer pain points,’ he continues, ‘I had to ask, what problems are we trying to solve? What is the magic moment we want to create? You can’t simply use new products just to create that ‘wow moment’.’
As well as the Curve range, Smart Tech systems also include the Neo, a Disney-infused smartwatch for children that takes youthful curiosity and aptitude for technology and turns it into a timepiece, calendar and camera that’s sprinkled with favorite characters, as well as being an easy way for parents to stay in touch. Guy worked once more with Béhar on this project, and he implies that future tech from Vodafone might take some of Neo’s innovations and apply them to different sectors.
Continue reading: https://www.wallpaper.com/technology/vodafone-smart-tech-interview-tom-guy
Guy admits that the Internet of Things hasn’t always been easy to understand. ‘The customer expectation has sometimes been higher than what the tech provides,’ he says, giving the example of a smart light bulb that requires someone to get out their phone and open an app just to turn a light on. ‘Vodafone had a roadmap of projects but also some clear customer pain points,’ he continues, ‘I had to ask, what problems are we trying to solve? What is the magic moment we want to create? You can’t simply use new products just to create that ‘wow moment’.’
As well as the Curve range, Smart Tech systems also include the Neo, a Disney-infused smartwatch for children that takes youthful curiosity and aptitude for technology and turns it into a timepiece, calendar and camera that’s sprinkled with favorite characters, as well as being an easy way for parents to stay in touch. Guy worked once more with Béhar on this project, and he implies that future tech from Vodafone might take some of Neo’s innovations and apply them to different sectors.
Continue reading: https://www.wallpaper.com/technology/vodafone-smart-tech-interview-tom-guy
