MidReal Story
Digital Revolution: XR Glasses Unleashed
Scenario: I want design a product about XR glasses, I hope corporation with Meta and Tencent company
Create my version of this story
Sitting in the conference room, I tapped my foot anxiously against the floor, the sound echoing across the empty space.
In front of me, Mia Chen, a colleague and friend, sat still as a statue.
As an experienced project manager, she was the picture of calm and poise, but I knew her well enough to see through that mask.
She was just as excited about this new project as I was.
We’d only found out about it yesterday, and it had been all we could think about since then.
It was what we’d been waiting for.
And now the time had come to hear our CEO announce the details—hopefully give us the green light to start preparing for our journey.
Our company was a leading tech innovator with a reputation for producing the latest and greatest in cutting-edge technology.
And it was no exaggeration to say that the project Mia and I had been selected to lead was potentially the most pivotal project in company history.
You see, we were about to embark on an XR glasses project.
And not just any old XR glasses project, either.
This time around, we were working with both Meta and Tencent, two tech giants who were collaborating on a new XR glasses project that was going to change the way people interact with the digital world.
The announcement of their partnership had shocked the tech world, and the excitement among tech enthusiasts for this product was already palpable—even though we were still at least a year away from being able to get our hands on it.
The idea behind this new venture was to make each experience more immersive and integrated than ever before.
To do that, we needed to find innovative ways to leverage technology.
It was our job to figure out exactly what those ways were—how we could best use cutting-edge technology to bring people closer together.
As Mia and I sat in the conference room eagerly awaiting our CEO’s arrival, the rest of the team started to trickle in.
The room gradually filled up with all the other members of our team who were going to be working on this project with us.
Each person who walked through the door had a clear determination in their eyes.
They were all eager to get started.
And why wouldn’t they be?
This project was going to be huge.
Finally, our CEO walked in and took his place at the front of the room, ready to give us all the details about what he wanted from us.
He was a man with a reputation for pushing boundaries, and it was no secret that he had big plans for the future of our company.
In fact, it was his forward-looking vision that had led us to this point.
It was his belief in the power of innovation and collaboration that had brought us here today.
“Welcome, everyone,” he began, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Today, I am pleased to announce that we have agreed to take on a new project with Meta and Tencent.”
There were gasps of surprise around the room as people responded to the news.
A smile spread across my face as I looked at Mia, and I knew she was feeling just as excited as I was.
“This is going to be an XR glasses project, and it is likely one of the most challenging projects that we have ever taken on.”
My heart raced faster.
This was it.
This was what we’d been waiting for.
“The project has been divided into three stages,” he continued.
“The first stage will last for six months, during which time we will deliver a prototype.”
My mind started to race as I tried to process everything he’d said so far.
A six-month deadline to deliver a prototype wasn’t exactly what I’d expected, but it wasn’t entirely impossible either.
Especially not when you considered how forward-thinking our company was.
This might just be the opportunity we needed to show off our skills and prove ourselves.
“After that, we will move on to stage two, which will last for six months, and we will work towards mass production.”
Now that was a big ask.
It wasn’t often that we were expected to deliver an entire product in a year, but our CEO had always been ambitious when it came to scheduling.
It was part of the reason we’d been able to achieve so much in such a short space of time.
And now, he expected us to do it all over again—only this time with a product that was even more complex and cutting-edge than anything we’d worked on before?
It definitely wasn’t going to be easy, but I knew we were up to the challenge.
“We’re doing this because we want to push the boundaries of XR technology,” our CEO explained as the excitement in the room continued to grow.
“Because we believe that together with our partners, we can create something truly extraordinary.”
His eyes gleamed with the fire of someone who truly believed in the words they were saying, and his enthusiasm was infectious.
That was when he paused, smiling at us all, before adding, “Tencent has a very ambitious timeline, so we need to keep up with them at all costs.”
Those words had an immediate effect on everyone in the room, and I knew that Mia and I were far from the only ones who were feeling excited about what was to come.
We had a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in, but that was how we liked it—how we thrived.
The moment our CEO finished speaking, there was a buzz of energy in the room as everyone started to talk among themselves, excited about what was to come.
I turned to Mia to discuss our plans for the project but had barely opened my mouth when Ryan Patel, a good friend of ours and a designer who’d worked on some very cool products, suddenly appeared at my side.
“Hey, buddy,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder before turning his attention to Mia with a smile and a playful wink.
“Hey,” she replied, her eyes narrowing as she gave him a look that was more than a little amused.
“How are you feeling about this new project?”
Ryan asked as his gaze moved between us.
“I’m excited,” Mia replied.
“I can’t wait to get started.”
“Me too,” I said, sharing her enthusiasm.
“We’ve been waiting for this for weeks.”
“I know you have,” Ryan said with an approving nod.
“And that’s why we’re all so excited for you.”
“Well, we appreciate that,” Mia replied with a smile.
“Thanks for your help in getting us here.”
“No problem,” he replied.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, there’s something I need to work on in my office before I go back to my apartment later today.”
“Of course,” Mia said.
“Good luck with it.”
With that, Ryan clapped me on the shoulder one more time before turning to leave.
And when he was gone, Mia looked up at me with an expression that was equal parts amused and curious.
“So, what do you think?”
“I think we should start by looking over your plans for how we’re going to tackle this,” I replied.
I knew Mia well enough by now to know that she would already have everything mapped out in intricate detail.
“I’ve already got some ideas of my own that I’d like to add to them.”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said.
“Shall we go back to my office and get started?”
And with that, we were off.
We’d barely sat down and opened up our laptops when Ryan came back into the room.
“So, I just stopped by my office and got everything I need,” he said as he took a seat.
“I’m ready when you are.”
“Good,” I said with a smile.
“I think this is going to be an amazing project.”
“So do I,” Mia said confidently.
“And if we get this right then who knows?
Maybe it’ll be something that changes everything.”
I couldn’t help but agree with her.
But as much as I wanted that to happen—and I really, really did—I knew that we had a lot of work ahead of us before we could make that vision into a reality.
The first thing I did when I left the conference room was head straight back to Mia’s office.
I had plenty of work to do and wanted to get started on it as quickly as possible.
I just hoped that it wouldn’t take too long for me—and for all of us—to figure out how we were going to make this happen.
A few hours later, after we’d finished going over all the plans that Mia and I had put together—and after Ryan had added his own ideas into the mix—we all left her office and went our separate ways.
I don’t know about you guys,” Ryan said as he headed off down the corridor towards his own workspace one more time, “but I can’t wait until they start running tests on my haptic feedback suit.
It’s going to be awesome!”
“It sure is!”
Mia called after him excitedly.
“It’s going to be something else!
And I can’t wait for you guys to see what we’re working on too.”
With that, Ryan was gone, and Mia and I headed off in the other direction once more.
As soon as we were out of earshot of him, she turned to me with a smile and said, “That guy is amazing!”
“He sure is,” I agreed.
I don’t know what we would do without him.”
“We’d probably still get by,” Mia replied.
“But having him around makes everything so much better.
I’m so grateful that he’s one of us.”
“Me too,” I said.
“And now that we’re getting started on this project at last, I have to say that I feel so happy that I could dance.”
“Dance?”
Mia asked with a laugh.
“Well, maybe not dance,” I said.
“But I do feel like jumping up and clicking my heels together a few times.”
“I think we all do,” Mia replied.
“This is going to be amazing.
I can’t wait to see what we come up with.”
“Me neither,” I agreed.
We’re going to have to work hard if we want to get this right—but if we do then we’ll be a part of something that’s going to change everything.”
“Everything?”
Mia asked as we walked down the corridor towards her office.
“Everything,” I replied with a nod.
I can’t wait to get started on this project and see where it goes from here.
I think we’re going to do something amazing here.
I really do.”
And with that, we were off once more.
As soon as we were back in Mia’s office—our office now—I turned to her and said, “So, where do you want to start?”
“The best place is probably right at the beginning,” Mia replied.
“I thought that might be your answer,” she said with a laugh.
“Now then… let’s see…”
And then she spent the next half an hour or so explaining everything that she’d come up with for how we were going to tackle this project and make it into a reality.
I was impressed by how thorough she’d been in her research—just as I’d known that I would be—and how detailed her plans were for making this work.
“So, what do you say?”
Mia asked when she was finally done.
“What do I say?”
I asked with a smile.
“I say that I’m pretty sure that this is going to be a huge success if we stick to this plan—and if everyone does their part.”
I don’t doubt that myself,” Mia replied.
“I’ve been working on this for weeks now—and I’ve made sure to plan everything out so that there’s no way this can fail.
I’ve also been talking to all the right people—and they’re all confident too.”
“Well, if you’re confident then I am too,” I replied.
“Now then, shall we talk about how we’re going to design the holographic display—or would you rather I work on that on my own and report back when I have something for you?”
“I think you should work on it on your own,” Mia replied.
“I trust your technical judgment completely when it comes to things like this.
I might not know a lot about them myself but I’m very pleased that you do.
Alex and Mia had talked for a little while longer after that, and then they’d left her office and gone down to another meeting room where the rest of the core team was waiting for them.
This was where they were going to kick off this project in earnest, and they were both excited and raring to go.
The lead of the project stepped up to the front of the room and said, “Okay, let’s get started shall we?
We don’t have much time until our partners in the US want this project finished and ready for them to test out so let’s not waste any more of it.”
He looked around the room at everyone else in attendance and saw that they were all listening intently so he continued.
“Now then, as you all know, our partners are Meta and Tencent.The two biggest names in the business by a long way.”
There was a murmur of agreement from some of those present but most stayed silent.
“We know that they’ve been working on AR glasses for a while now but haven’t really been able to crack them.
But they think that they might be getting close now—and they need our help with them.”
Another murmur went round the room from those who hadn’t known that but most of those present had worked out that much for themselves.
“So, what they’re looking for is for us to create a pair of AR glasses that are even better than theirs and integrate them with their latest neural interface so that they can deliver an even better user experience to their clients.
And they want us to do all that while still being able to see what’s happening in the real world around us.”
There was another murmur from around the room at that but most of those present knew that they had a tough job ahead of them now.
“And if that wasn’t enough for you all to worry about already,” he continued, “they also want us to try and come up with some kind of solution for how to make these glasses small enough so that they don’t look ridiculous on your face and so that they don’t need an external power source to work.”
This time there was an audible gasp from everyone else in attendance and they all knew that they had a tough job ahead of them now.
And that was before they were told what kind of timescale they were working to…
“But don’t worry,” he said with a smile, “because I know that you’re all up to this challenge.
I know this because I’m aware of the work that you’ve done in the past—and I’m very confident that you can do something even better than anything you’ve ever done before.”
Everyone else in the room stared at him now, some with fear, some with determination and some with a combination of the two.
“I’m not expecting us to make any huge progress today when we start to develop these glasses,” the lead continued, “but I am expecting us to have a working prototype in our hands within two months—the sooner the better, obviously—and I’m expecting us to be able to present to Meta and Tencent in a way that they’ll be impressed with within three months.
Because, if we don’t, then we’ll be out of work sooner than that.”
He paused for a moment before saying, “But I know that we can do this and I know that we will succeed in everything that we set out to do—and then some.”
Mia listened to the rest of the meeting with a smile on her face and a surge of renewed determination in her heart.
With Alex at her side and the best team that she had ever worked with around her, she knew that they were going to be able to rise to this challenge and come up with a product that their clients would be proud of—even if she knew that it was going to be almost impossible for them to pull off what was being asked of them.
The room still buzzed with excitement as they left the meeting room and, even though they knew they were going to be up against one heck of a challenge now, Mia was confident that she could lead her team to success anyway.
She was used to dealing with difficult partners and demanding clients like this now, after all, and she was sure that she would be able to do so again this time too—even though she knew this was going to be one heck of a challenge!
“So what are you thinking?”
Alex asked as they walked down the corridor together, “Are you going to take charge of this project and lead us to success?”
Mia stared at him for a moment, not entirely sure what she should answer him now.
“Yes,” she finally said when she wasn’t able to come up with anything else—and without any real confidence in her voice either.
“I’m going to have to take charge of this project and lead us to success, after all—and I don’t see anyone else around here who can do a better job than me!”
She paused for a moment before adding, “And I know that we’re all up for this challenge too—and we’re going to make our clients proud when it’s all said and done.”
Then she paused again before asking, “What about you?
How are you planning on taking control of your part in all this?”
“By getting on with things,” Alex replied with a smile.
“But what does that mean?”
Mia asked now.
“What exactly are you going to be doing here?”
“Well, my first task is going to be to work out how we can design a holographic display that’s bright enough and clear enough to see without needing an external power source to work,” Alex explained.
“And that’s going to be quite a challenge, I think, but one that I think I can pull off.”
“Because I think that I’ll be able to come up with a solution to this problem that works well enough for our clients now.”
He paused again before continuing, “The real challenge is going to be figuring out how I can design the holographic display so that it doesn’t weight too much or need too much power to work without compromising on its brightness and clarity.”
“And you’re planning on doing that by…” Mia replied.
“By working with our hardware engineers so that they can help me to come up with ways to solve these problems—because I’m sure they’re going to have some ideas and some feedback they need to give me before we’re able to move forward here.”
“Good idea,” Mia said with a smile on her face now, just as they reached the office of one of their lead engineers and she asked him to join them so they could discuss their next steps together.
