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Translation into products requires a study of humans that most companies are ill-equipped to apply. For example, the Oculus/Meta Quest 2 headset only has 3 "IPD

Translation into products requires a study of humans that most companies are ill-equipped to apply. For example, the Oculus/Meta Quest 2 headset only has 3 "IPD" settings, and the face plate was designed to fit a somewhat particular skeletal structure. Notably, while it fits comfortably on my Western friends' faces, none of my East Asian friends or family, including any women, found it bearable (too tight on forehead, tilted downward, light leaking from around nose) or were able to focus it cleanly and assumed "VR was not for them". However, a Japanese headset, often reviewed in English as being too small or uncomfortable, fit me perfectly, and the optics were clearer despite having lower technical specs. How illuminating! I do wish that companies that designed wearables would either disclose the dimensions of their testers or provide what dimensions matter. I'm larger than 50% of the people on the planet, and I fall within a standard deviation of the mean in the United States. However, no product designed by a US tech company has ever fit me. The real answer is probably the same as the Alf Landon election prediction by Literary Digest in 1936. Because they only sent out ballots to addresses of registered car owners and people listed in the relatively new telephone directory, the poll results skewed wealthy, urban, and conservative - class bias in action. Are tech companies in the US making the same mistake?

reaperman 3y ago
> Are tech companies in the US making the same mistake? Yes, but slightly different, because they're missing less of their "addressable market" than the Landon prediction was. Their addressable market generally being people outside of Asia who have lots of disposable income. People in Asia tend to buy homegrown products which approach or exceed the quality, are easier to get, and cheaper. People with disposable income outside of Asia still trend toward the Westerner morphology. Still it's amazing with all the East Asians in big tech companies, that so many domestic products seem ill-designed to fit them. Meanwhile tons of my furniture and other items that are designed and manufactured in Asia and then shipped to the USA seem to be shrinking and I don't fit in so many of them anymore. Not sure if that's just selling cheap things that have less material/shipping cost, or if it's matching the optimal sizes for East Asians.
- washadjeffmad 3y ago
  > Meanwhile tons of my furniture and other items that are designed and manufactured in Asia and then shipped to the USA seem to be shrinking and I don't fit in so many of them anymore. I based my recent purchase of a office chair on its copious complaints from very tall people after I found I couldn't sit back on a couch I ordered from Costco without my feet dangling in the air. If we were neighbors, I'd offer to trade you!

reaperman 3y ago

> Are tech companies in the US making the same mistake? Yes, but slightly different, because they're missing less of their "addressable market" than the Landon prediction was. Their addressable market generally being people outside of Asia who have lots of disposable income. People in Asia tend to buy homegrown products which approach or exceed the quality, are easier to get, and cheaper. People with disposable income outside of Asia still trend toward the Westerner morphology. Still it's amazing with all the East Asians in big tech companies, that so many domestic products seem ill-designed to fit them. Meanwhile tons of my furniture and other items that are designed and manufactured in Asia and then shipped to the USA seem to be shrinking and I don't fit in so many of them anymore. Not sure if that's just selling cheap things that have less material/shipping cost, or if it's matching the optimal sizes for East Asians.

washadjeffmad 3y ago
> Meanwhile tons of my furniture and other items that are designed and manufactured in Asia and then shipped to the USA seem to be shrinking and I don't fit in so many of them anymore. I based my recent purchase of a office chair on its copious complaints from very tall people after I found I couldn't sit back on a couch I ordered from Costco without my feet dangling in the air. If we were neighbors, I'd offer to trade you!