What do you do if your product design process lacks the power of augmented reality?

1 Use prototyping tools

Prototyping is a crucial step in product design, as it helps you validate your ideas, get feedback, and improve your design. Even without AR, you can use prototyping tools that simulate the functionality and appearance of your product in different contexts and scenarios. For example, you can use tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD to create wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes that show how your product works on different devices and platforms. You can also use tools like InVision, Marvel, or Balsamiq to create user flows, storyboards, and animations that demonstrate how your product solves user problems and meets their needs.

2 Get user feedback

User feedback is essential for product design, as it helps you understand your target audience, their pain points, and their expectations. Without AR, you can still get user feedback by conducting user research, interviews, surveys, and usability tests. You can use tools like UserTesting, UsabilityHub, or SurveyMonkey to collect and analyze user data and insights. You can also use tools like Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet to conduct remote user testing and observe how users interact with your prototypes. You can then use tools like Miro, Trello, or Airtable to organize and prioritize your feedback and identify the most important issues and opportunities for improvement.

3 Experiment with new technologies

Even if you don't have AR, you can still experiment with new technologies that can enhance your product design and user experience. For example, you can explore the possibilities of virtual reality (VR), which creates a fully immersive and simulated environment for your product. You can use tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, or A-Frame to create VR prototypes and test them with VR headsets or web browsers. You can also explore the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), which enables your product to learn from data and perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. You can use tools like TensorFlow, IBM Watson, or Dialogflow to integrate AI features and capabilities into your product, such as voice recognition, natural language processing, or image analysis.

4 Learn from best practices

One of the best ways to improve your product design skills and knowledge is to learn from best practices and examples of successful products that use AR or other technologies. You can find inspiration and guidance from online resources, such as blogs, podcasts, books, courses, or communities that focus on product design and innovation. You can also look for case studies, portfolios, or reviews of products that use AR or other technologies to solve user problems and create value. You can then analyze how they applied the principles and techniques of product design, such as user research, prototyping, testing, and iteration, and how they measured and communicated their impact and results.

5 Collaborate with others

Product design is not a solo activity, but a collaborative one that involves multiple stakeholders, such as users, clients, developers, marketers, and managers. Without AR, you can still collaborate with others by using tools and methods that facilitate communication, coordination, and feedback. For example, you can use tools like Slack, Asana, or GitHub to communicate with your team members, share your work, and track your progress. You can also use tools like Google Docs, Dropbox, or Figma to co-create and edit your documents, files, and prototypes. You can also use methods like design sprints, design thinking, or agile to structure and manage your product design process and deliver value faster and better.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?