Case 01 / AI Wearables
2025
How does a $499 pair of AI glasses become a performance companion — not just a cool extra?
Client
EssilorLuxottica · Oakley × Meta
Role
Lead UX Researcher
Duration
7 months · Jul 2025 – Feb 2026
Team
2 UX Researchers · 1 Strategist · UX/UI partners
Problem
Oakley Meta had entered the performance AI eyewear category on the back of Ray-Ban Meta's success, but the team lacked a grounded view of how sports-performance consumers actually discover, evaluate, purchase, and use the product over time. Marketing promised performance; usage data hinted at lifestyle behavior.
Objective
Evaluate and optimize the end-to-end journey for lifestyle versus sports-performance segments, and identify the moments where Vanguard either becomes a habit — or quietly slides into a drawer.
Methods
8 in combination
Research Process
Phase 01
Grounded the team in emerging AI-eyewear use-cases, athlete expectations, and known pain points before recruiting.
Activities
Phase 02
Captured a longitudinal view of the HSTN pre-order and Vanguard journey — from pre-purchase notifications through unboxing, setup, and weekly use.
Activities
Phase 03
Clustered diary entries, interview quotes, and survey signals into themes. Triangulated qualitative and behavioral data to prioritize what matters.
Activities
Phase 04
Translated insight clusters into immediate fixes, longer-term strategic moves, and open questions for the next study.
Activities
Journey Map
Emotional arc, end-to-end
Key Insights
Insight 01
Audio quality, hands-free capture, and training integrations are what convert curious buyers into habitual users — but only once they're outside. Indoor first-impressions undersell the product.
“It clicked on my second run. Before that, it was just expensive headphones.”
Insight 02
Athletes opened a premium box and immediately searched for a charging cable and cleaning cloth that weren't there. The unboxing screams premium; the kit doesn't fully match it.
“I was surprised the kit didn't have a charging cable.”
Insight 03
For everyday athletes, AI eyewear that doesn't plug into the ecosystem they already use becomes a parallel device. Deep integration is the difference between companion and gadget.
Insight 04
Across the cohort, the most-mentioned interface element was also the least understood. Setup hands users a powerful affordance with no clear job to be done.
“One thing I'm confused about is what I could even use my action button for.”
Outcomes
30
Diary entries analyzed across 10 athletes
6
Journey stages mapped end-to-end
12
Prioritized insights delivered to product
4
Immediate, low-cost fixes shipped post-readout
Strategic Recommendations
01
Ship a complete accessory kit — charging cable and microfiber cloth — by default.
02
Replace the static setup flow with a guided 'first run' onboarding that defines the Action Button on day one.
03
Build first-party Strava and Garmin integrations rather than treating them as third-party afterthoughts.
04
Position Vanguard as 'Strava meets GoPro on your face' — earned through accessory ecosystem, not advertising.