What are the best ways to ensure a seamless AR experience?

Ensuring a smooth AR experience largely hinges on the device's hardware. AR apps, like those used in Pokemon Go, demand high processing power and quality cameras to render lifelike content. Developers need to fine-tune their applications for various devices, while users should select devices that match the app's requirements. Keeping devices updated, charged, and with ample storage is also key. This ensures the AR experience is responsive and immersive, allowing users to fully enjoy the interactive digital world.

Als Gründer von spotAR, einem Startup, das digitale Stadtführungen mit Augmented Reality (AR) anbietet, konzentriere ich mich darauf, Touristen die Vergangenheit lebendig werden zu lassen. Unsere Anwendung passt sich durch das Level of Detail-Prinzip an verschiedene Geräte an, auch an ältere Modelle. Dies ermöglicht uns, jedem Nutzer ein nahtloses AR-Erlebnis zu bieten. Mit spotAR beleben wir historische Orte neu, indem wir Touristen direkt in die Vergangenheit eintauchen lassen, angereichert mit interaktiven, lebensechten AR-Darstellungen. Unser Ziel ist es, Geschichte greifbar und faszinierend zu machen, unterstützt durch innovative Technologie, die für jeden zugänglich ist.

Of the roughly 3.6 billion global smartphones today, 3.2 billion are compatible with at least one form of AR, including rudimentary web AR. This ubiquity is not only a pathway to scale, but a stepping stone: mobile AR acclimates the world so that AR glasses can hit the ground running. This goes for consumers as well as developers learning to think spatially. Lastly, smartphones won’t just be a means to an end, but a key piece of the AR glasses formula. By handling and hosting CPU, GPU, and 5G & edge connectivity, smartphones enable early-generation AR glasses to be lighter, cheaper, and more powerful. This will involve a progression of wired to wireless tethers whereby your smartphone serves as the processing muscle of your smart glasses.

Ensuring a seamless Augmented Reality (AR) experience involves a combination of technical considerations, user interface design, and user experience optimization. 1. Intuitive User Interface (UI): Create a user-friendly AR interface by minimizing clutter and providing clear visual cues for seamless user interaction. 2. Realistic Object Placement: Optimize virtual object interactions by accounting for lighting, shadows, and object occlusion, enhancing overall immersion 3. Accessibility: Ensure that your AR experience is accessible to users with different abilities. Consider factors such as color contrast, font size, and navigation for a diverse audience. Focusing on these points will go a long way in ensuring a seamless AR experience

Being Mobile first, and the application should be a mix of AR and current standard screens, this allows the users to transition gradually.

Now, the user experience is where it gets really interesting. You want your app to feel familiar, whether someone’s using it on their smartphone, tablet, or AR glasses. It’s like visiting your favorite cafe in different cities. The menu and vibe are the same, but each place has its own little twist. Consistency in the interface and usability across devices means users don’t have to relearn how to use your app every time they switch devices.

Software compatibility plays a vital role in ensuring a seamless AR experience. AR apps, such as those developed with ARKit or ARCore, require compatibility with the device's software to function properly. Developers should rigorously test their apps across different devices and platforms, possibly using cross-platform tools. For users, it's important to verify that an AR app is compatible with their device before downloading and to keep the app updated for optimal performance. This approach helps in avoiding technical glitches and enhances the overall AR experience.

Consider the purpose of AR usage—different goals may influence software choices. WebAR stands out for its convenience, working across devices without the need for native apps. It offers flexibility for integrating additional features like purchases. For simplicity and easy sharing, social media AR platforms excel, provided users have the app installed, allowing one-tap sharing of the AR experience.

I echo a sentiment I see here - Cross platform is crucial. Web technology is fantastic for rapid development with solid testing covering all your source code. Using typescript enforces strong typing and structured code across the code base. However, game engines provide a lot of functionality for 3D but with overhead. Find out the needs of the client. MVP something small, pick the tech that can prove any idea first before jumping in the deep end.

Bei spotAR setzen wir verstärkt auf WebAR, um unseren Nutzern direkte AR-Erlebnisse im Webbrowser zu ermöglichen, ohne dass sie separate Apps herunterladen müssen. Diese Technologie vereinfacht den Zugang zu unseren digitalen Stadtführungen erheblich. Wir freuen uns besonders auf die kommende Unterstützung von WebXR im Safari-Browser, da dies eine nahtlose Nutzung unserer AR-Inhalte auf iOS-Geräten ermöglichen wird, ohne auf native Apps mit ARKit oder ARCore zurückgreifen zu müssen. Diese Entwicklung hin zu WebAR und WebXR erleichtert nicht nur unsere Entwicklungsarbeit, sondern verbessert auch die Nutzererfahrung signifikant, indem sie AR-Technologie noch zugänglicher macht.

Test, test and test again! Creating a user-friendly interface is key for a successful AR experience. Ensuring the experience is tested by a group of people with varying degrees of understanding of AR is a great way to see potential issues that need rectifying. Usually, this is a great opportunity to understand what directions/instructions need to be ironed out and include more visual cues or a fully guided experience for the user to get the most out of the AR application.

The user interface and interaction design are crucial for a seamless AR experience. AR apps like IKEA Place excel by offering intuitive and straightforward interfaces, tailored to the AR context. They use suitable input methods like touch or gestures and provide clear visual and audio cues to guide users. It's important to keep the interface uncluttered and focus on relevant information, ensuring user comfort and safety. Well-designed AR interfaces enhance user engagement by making the experience more natural and enjoyable.

Here are some keys to designing a good UI in AR IMO: Simplicity: The UI should be simple and easy to use. Users should be able to interact with the application without having to think too much about how to do it. Consistency: The UI should be consistent at all times. Users should be able to interact with the application in the same way on all screens. Feedback: The application should provide feedback to the user at all times. Users should know what is happening in the application at all times. Visual Design: The visual design of the UI is important. Users should be attracted to the application and enjoy using it. Ease of Use: Users should be able to interact with the application without having to read a user manual.

We've successfully used AR in concert halls by thinking of it as another instrument that would be added onto the performance. As a performer + designer thinking about the overall user experience, AR is not the end goal, but is an extension for how you express and what you want to express. It's been helpful to script out cues + know where AR can augment (no pun intended) the audience's experience.

In addition to intuitiveness, effective onboarding is crucial for early users new to spatial design concepts in AR. A seamless introduction guides users through the immersive world, ensuring users grasp navigation tools and interaction methods easily. Clear tutorials, interactive guides, and simplified controls enhance user confidence. This establishes a foundation for continued engagement in my experience.

Environmental conditions significantly influence AR experiences. For example, Pokemon Go uses GPS and camera technology, which can be impacted by poor lighting or bad weather, affecting the game's accuracy and playability. Developers must optimize AR apps to function well under various conditions and integrate multiple sensors for greater resilience. Choosing the proper environment is key for users – a well-lit, safe area enhances the experience while avoiding potential hazards or extreme conditions.

AR on glossy/shiny surfaces has consistently presented challenges, which can be tackled using advanced sensors. However, integrating these high-end sensors is not always practical across all devices considering commercial constraints

Adapting to the environmental conditions are extremely hard. The variability as described ranges from weather to lighting. Understanding what software and hardware that will be used is critical. A good example of this is the ability in Unity using the Magic Leap 2 head mounted display to segment and auto dim depending on the lighting. As a user we are able to see more vibrant visuals based on the segmented diming that is available through hardware electronics.

Ensuring that the AR experience is tested by a number of different people is key to developing a seamless experience for the user. Not everyone will "test" like you which is important as it's a great opportunity to discover issues that you may have missed. Testing at different times of the day and different weather is a must for any outdoor AR experience. Especially if the user has to scan and place an item in front of them as there will be different levels of visibility and added shadows that could effect how an object is placed in their environment.

As AR experiences are basically computer vision algorithms “deciphering” the real world through cameras and sensors, the ideal scenario is having good lighting conditions to make the work of the algorithm easier. Other important factor is the presence of “feature points”, which are notable features in the environment that the device can track and estimate the position of virtual objects. In short: an AR experience won’t run well over a white floor because it won’t be able to detect visual points to “attach” the 3D objects to it. From the user’s perspective, it’s important to be aware of your surroundings: in outdoor spaces, crowded places and cars can be dangerous to users. Indoor spaces should be enough free space for the user interaction

Network connectivity is crucial for a smooth AR experience. For AR apps like Snapchat filters, stable internet is essential to download and display content like images and videos without lag. Developers can optimize these apps for varying network strengths, incorporating data-efficient strategies and offline modes. For users, ensuring a strong and secure network connection is important, especially when using AR apps that require constant data access. Avoiding areas with poor connectivity can significantly enhance the AR interaction quality.

Tip: You could implement lazy loading solutions (if the tool you're using to build your AR experience supports it). This way, you can significantly reduce the initial loading time at the beginning of the experience. My favorite KPI is TTF: Time to Fun. Just three seconds are enough for a user to abandon your experience before even trying it.

In unseren nativen AR-Apps laden wir regelmäßig Unity Assets aus unserem Backend nach, um die Inhalte aktuell zu halten und effizient zu pflegen. Dies spart Nutzern das ständige Aktualisieren der App. Bei WebAR-Anwendungen, die eine gute Internetverbindung erfordern, legen wir Wert auf geringe Datenmengen. Durch optimierte Inhalte und effiziente Datenübertragung sorgen wir für ein flüssiges Erlebnis auch bei schwächeren Verbindungen. So bieten wir unseren Nutzern eine flexible und stets aktuelle AR-Erfahrung, unabhängig von ihrer Netzwerkqualität.

Spatial computing and network optimization strategies like network segmentation can play a significant role. By dividing the network into smaller and more manageable sub-networks, the performance and network lag of AR apps can be improved, particularly in environments with multiple users or devices

AR experiences are, generally, very rich 3D scenes with heavyweight objects, detailed textures, video and audio effects. Even if the artists and developers can optimise the scene and deliver compressed assets, a good network connection is crucial. The ideal is running it over WiFi or 5G, but a good 4G network connection can handle it. For big events, there’s an important factor to consider: there is a limit of connected users to a 4G cell, so probably the users will have problems to find data network on very crowded spaces. The solution for it is using a High-density WiFi solution to provide reliable data connection for hundreds or even thousands of simultaneous users.

"Don't build in a bubble, test | learn | iterate" Not much else to be said here, if you are not testing with the target demographics, then you will deploy something that is meaningless and have low adoption.

Considero todos os pontos levantados extremamente importante e que impactam diretamente a experiência do usuário. No meu modo de ver a realidade aumentada é subestimada e seu potencial ignorado, ela é a tecnologia mais próxima do que está por vir. Qualquer tecnologia deve ser considerado o meio e não o fim para um objetivo. Com público-alvo e objetivo bem definidos com certeza a realidade aumentada irá gerar e agregar valor para os usuários. Ponto crucial é uma estratégia bem definida.

Die Erwartungen und das Feedback der Nutzer sind essentiell für die Entwicklung effektiver AR-Anwendungen. Diese sollten in Qualität, Funktionalität und Benutzerfreundlichkeit überzeugen. Durch Bewertungen, Rezensionen und Kommentare können Entwickler direktes Nutzerfeedback einholen und analysieren. Dieses Feedback ist entscheidend, um die AR-Anwendungen kontinuierlich zu verbessern und anzupassen. Es hilft auch den Nutzern, die passendsten Anwendungen für ihre Bedürfnisse zu entdecken. Zudem stärkt es das Gemeinschaftsgefühl und Engagement sowohl unter den AR-Nutzern als auch den Entwicklern, was für die Weiterentwicklung und Akzeptanz von AR-Technologien von großer Bedeutung ist.

Números úteis que achei sobre a realidade aumentada. A realidade aumentada favorece: - 95% de aumento na atenção visual - 70% Eleva a retenção de memória do produto (Neuro Insight) - 45% Maior atenção do que a TV ou online (Neuro Insight) - 64% Das principais marcas de consumo estão investindo em experiências imersivas (Accenture) - 250% Aumento na taxa de conversão em produtos que usam modelos 3D em AR em comparação com aqueles que não (Shopify) - 100M Consumidores comprando com AR online e lojas (Deloitte)