The Story of Word Lens

February 15, 2011

When launched in December, Word Lens iPhone app - that automagically translates any text you point your phone camera to through augmented reality - got 2.5 million views on YouTube in its first week and held #1 position on the lists of Top Free Apps and Top Grossing Apps on iTunes.

Wired called it “one of the most amazing apps we have ever seen”; New York Times gave it an award for “best app idea” and Economist said “Word Lens: this changes everything”.

If you’ve been dreaming about making a viral app or product and always wondered about the backstory of a viral launch, come hear from the developer of Word Lens, Otavio Good. He’ll share lessons learned from:

  • Coming up with the idea for the app
  • The long, arduous development process (2.5 years!)
  • The launch strategy
  • How it went viral
  • Growth strategy
Speaker:
Sandbox member Otavio Good is the founder of Quest Visual, which introduced Word Lens iPhone App in December 2010. He has previously worked as a senior software engineer at Secret Level, a SEGA studio.