Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and deliver personalized content. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.
COOKIE POLICY

Skip to main content

Augmenting Your Reality

Augmenting Your Reality
Back to insights

Simply put, augmented reality (AR) is adding visual information to the world the user is standing in. But it’s ultimately a buzzword that’s used as a bucket for interesting new technology that doesn’t fit nicely into other categories. Some obvious examples are Pokemon Go and Ikea’s mobile app that lets you project furniture into your living room.

Other than these few obvious examples, AR hasn’t yet penetrated our daily lives. The technology isn’t seamless yet, but with nearly everyone carrying around a computer in their pocket, it’s a matter of time. Businesses haven’t figured out how to make AR useful instead of something seen as a gimmick. AR is still looked at as a concept of futurism rather than a practical tool to provide a benefit to users.

It’s easy to imagine the uses in mobile gaming. Players can use their devices to see things in the world that aren’t there and react to them. Imagine a recreation of the classic Space Invaders game where you run around outside shooting imaginary lasers at imaginary spaceships. Sounds like it could be fun, right? So let’s apply that same process to the real world…it’s a little bit harder.

The other day my fiancé and I were looking at the wine selection in a grocery store. She promptly whipped out an app and took a picture of a wine bottle’s label to see reviews and a description of a particular wine she was considering. Leveraging her device, she added information to her retail experience and allowed her to make an informed purchase.

Now let’s consider how we could take that one step further with AR. What if she held up the phone at the shelves of wine and the app applied a green highlight to all the bottles rated above 4 stars? That’s definitely more seamless than snapping a pic with an app and seeing the rating of just one particular wine. Then perhaps she could click on bottles she was interested in to get a quick summary. Talk about an improved experience for the consumer!

We’re right on the cusp of the technology. All of the pieces exist to create an application with that experience, but putting them together in an efficient and functional manner would be a bear of a task. You would need:

  • A giant, complex database of the products that contains enough information about the labels for image recognition
  • A camera on the device with a good enough resolution to recognize the nuances of the labels from a distance
  • An algorithm to optimize sending camera stills to the backend for processing, so as not to constantly stream video across the user’s data plan
  • An implementation of an AR interface
  • And so on…

The augmented reality piece may actually be one of the easier development parts on the list. Over the last couple years, several AR frameworks and libraries have become stable enough for basic consumption. One example is ARToolKit for the Unity game engine. It’s not particularly easy to jump into, but like any SDK, is quite doable once you dig into the documentation.

I think we’re close to seeing an AR boom on mobile, the market just needs a catalyst. Pokemon Go provided the technology awareness that was needed, now we just need a practical example to follow suit. The catalyst might come in the form of an add-on device…something like a new Google Glass, but not as ridiculous looking. Or it might just be that the industry needs to be led by example in this particular area since it’s so new.  Who will lead the way?

Digging In

  • Digital Products

    What to Ask in a UX Discovery Session

    Better questions lead to better design. In my years as a UI/UX designer, I’ve learned that many design challenges may come from misalignment at the start. Discovery sessions are where product clarity is either made or missed. These are a few discovery questions I consistently return to in the discovery phase of my UX design […]

  • Digital Products

    Designing For Play and Friction in a Fast-Paced World

    At UDig, play is an integral part of our philosophy. “Having fun” is embedded in our culture, and we always find opportunities to use play to encourage collaboration, ignite creativity, and make room for bold experimentation to build stronger teams and solve problems ranging from the seemingly simple to the most complex. I always have […]

  • Digital Products

    Config 2025 Day Two Recap

    It felt as though Config 2025 ended as soon as it began, and I believe those of us that attended are all the better for it. By the end of the day, various inspirational and informative talks had been given by thought leaders and innovators in the product space. Between sessions, we had the opportunity […]

  • Digital Products

    Inside Config 2025: What’s New in Figma

    Config 2025 kicked off with a bang on Day 1. Figma’s annual conference brings together designers, developers, and all those involved in the making of a product. The 2-day event has a stacked lineup of accomplished speakers ready to share their insights on the world of product building. At today’s opening keynote, the Figma team, […]

  • Digital Products

    Choosing the Right Modernization Approach

    When organizations decide it’s time to modernize their technology infrastructure, choosing the right approach is crucial. Modernization isn’t merely a technical upgrade; it’s a strategic business move that significantly impacts growth, agility, and long-term success. Here’s how your company can effectively begin to select the best modernization strategy tailored to your goals and challenges. In […]

  • Digital Products

    TAG Panel: Differentiate Your Customer Experience

    Join the CX and Product Management Societies to hear from our panel of Human-Centered Design experts on the business value of Agentic AI.