Have you tried on a new pair of glasses via a mobile app to check how well they suit your face? You’ve just experienced one of the real-life use cases of augmented reality. In fact, augmented reality is more prevalent in your daily life than you think. Your Snapchat filters & Instagram lenses are also a form of augmented reality as are those apps that let you try on clothes without leaving your home.
So, what is Augmented Reality (AR)?
Augmented reality is the new wave of technology that waves together digital interfaces and real-life. It allows you to experience products and services before purchase, offering you a clear understanding of what it’s like to own them. The boom in AR, led primarily by the gaming industry, has been noticed by industry leaders like Apple and Google who have released tools for developers to create AR apps on their operating systems.
Augmented reality works by overlaying virtual objects onto your real-life environment in real-time, creating an artificial environment one can view and interact with through smartphones and other devices such as AR goggles & haptic sensors —for all those interested in immersive gaming experiences.
Real-life implications of AR
Augmented reality is disrupting the way we currently interact with products and services. In a bid to enhance their offerings, several industries are pivoting to include AR in the way they market their products. This allows people to closely understand what they’re buying and how they can use it.
For instance, IKEA’s IKEA Place is an AR app that allows you to see how a particular piece of furniture would look in your room. This lets you see how well the new furniture would look, whether it would fit (dimensions & sizing are taken into account), and make an informed choice about purchasing it.
Similarly, the Dulux Visualizer allows you to choose a colour and digitally transpose it over your room so you can see how well the colour looks on your walls. Not only that, but it also allows you to choose colours you find on everyday objects, like a wall paint eyedropper tool, to test those colours along with suggested colour schemes to ensure your home looks like you envisioned it.
Brucira’s AR experiments
As a product design agency, we’re constantly upgrading our skills and venturing into new verticals. Augmented reality is an innovative way to improve a customer’s user experience and offer them a unique journey as they make their decision.
Our first foray into augmented reality included our work in shadows, lighting, and movements because we wanted to make the AR experience as realistic as possible. We also explored 3D tracking and texturising to capture life-like movements.
Then, we explored how buying a smartphone can be improved through the incorporation of AR. This would allow users to see the phone size and screen resolution while giving them a closer look a the phone through a 3D view.
Next, we moved onto something that could have practical applications for many a plant lover. We built a little snippet of an app that could tell you the weather, water levels, and sunlight needs of your plants while also categorizing them and sharing important data with you.
Our latest AR experiment was exploring how print media can use AR to increase their sales and engagement levels. We brought to life a common disinfectant and allowed the users to kill viruses across the newspaper, turning an ad into a game. If realized, this idea would leave a lasting impression on the reader’s mind, allowing them to fuse print and digital perspectives.
We’re excited to see the innovative AR apps and tools that come up across industries which will allow people to work smarter, make more informed choices, and interact better with the products they want to buy.
AR is slowly but swiftly changing the way we interact with products and services. Companies around the world are using AR to make their products and experiences more interesting, innovative, and engaging. Industries that cater to healthcare, home furnishing, gaming, beauty, and more are increasingly incorporating AR apps.
What about you, where do you think the future of AR is headed?
