Challenge

Joining Topology Eyewear during its early days posed unique challenges, mainly in marketing, end-to-end user experience, and brand perception. With glasses priced between $600-$800 and little social proof, persuading customers to invest a MacBook's worth in custom eyewear was our initial hurdle. Beyond software design, my role involved positioning us as a luxury must-have for those fed up with mainstream discomfort and lack of customization.

Technically, our groundbreaking AR-based selfie fitting was innovative but slow, requiring up to 10 minutes to generate a 3D model. In addition, our shipping timelines stretched for months in an age where 2-day delivery is the norm. These issues clashed with the premium experience we aimed for, so the product itself needed to be better than anything they had ever used prior to justify the delivery time, and the cost itself.

Design Process

In the early days at Topology Eyewear, weekends were spent gathering user insights at eyewear shops. This hands-on research helped us pinpoint our key personas: people with unique fitting issues and tech-savvy early adopters. Our initial app revealed several challenges, including slow face scans, unrealistic eyewear renders, and a clunky slide-based UI that was hard to navigate for users with vision issues.

We identified the selfie-to-design loop as the key experience to perfect. To achieve the wow factor needed to overcome initial hurdles, we focused on real-time customization. Lacking direct competitors in live previews, I drew inspiration from image-editing apps like Instagram and VSCO. Users could tap to select colors, materials, and patterns, viewing changes in real-time.

To mitigate slow 3D rendering times, we incorporated pre-rendered models into the app, allowing users to experiment while waiting for their own models to process.

Learnings & Takeaways

Despite significant improvements in 3D rendering speed, manufacturing, and delivery times, Topology Eyewear struggled to gain the trust and brand recognition needed to break into the B2C market. The high price tag remained a barrier, deterring potential customers. As a result, the company pivoted its core business to B2B, discontinuing its consumer-facing product.

Though we never achieved B2C product market fit, the experience was and education was invaluable. I was exposed to an end-to-end process that covered everything from AR and software development to hardware, package design, and shipping. We might not have succeeded in the way we hoped, but the holistic view it offered of business operations and marketing was profoundly educational.