Why would anyone buy a pair of $300 sunglasses?

Several years ago, my agency was approached by a high-end sunglasses manufacturer. They wanted to redesign their website. Coincidentally, I had a strong bias against expensive sunglasses for years. They had always seemed wildly unnecessary. After all, chances were I would just lose them. My sunglass cost just $19, and a comparable replacement could always be found rotating on a drugstore spindle.

So how do you confront your own, known biases at the beginning of a project? Easy. Google it.

We sometimes forget what a fast and powerful research tool Google search can be. It is fast, free, and informative. It is history’s transcript, retrievable in a few keystrokes.

Almost every industry generates news, discussions about its related technology, and some form of controversy and competition.

Searches for “sunglasses news” provides a detailed analysis of companies, products, events, and trade shows (see Figure 32-1). You discover forums in which customers praise and complain about a company and its competitors. It gives you a knowledge base from which to draw when talking about, writing about, and presenting on the subject.

Searches for “sunglasses technology” return results about how sunglasses companies differentiate their products through complicated optics, innovative material design, and advanced manufacturing techniques that all factor into developing superior—albeit pricey—sunglasses (see Figure 32-2).

Searches for “sunglasses vs .” lists the ongoing debates between pricey or cheap, darker or lighter, yellow or blue, clip-ons or transitions, Ray-Ban or Oakley, polarized or non-polarized (see Figure 32-3).

You learn how high-quality lenses affect polarization. They reduce eyestrain, make colors more vibrant, and eliminate glare. Boaters and anglers love them. Polarization takes the glare off of sunlit water, which is caused when the number of lumens exceeds your eyes’ ability to absorb the light (usually around 4000+ lumens).

You read about how high-end sunglasses are often made with memory metals and lightweight alloys, which helps avoid cracking and breaking. Cheap pairs of sunglasses are press-molded with inexpensive polycarbonates and rigid metals.

An hour of Googling shines a light on unfamiliar subjects, revealing insights that may go unnoticed in the early days of a project. It offsets your bias with objective information. And although such research pales in comparison to formalized studies, it is far better than being left in the dark.