What is Augmented Reality about?
In today’s environment of fast changing technology, individuals are more drawn to the field of augmented reality (AR). What does it provide us, though, and what is its purpose?
First of all, Augmented Reality is about providing users with an interactive experience by adding an extra layer of virtual information on the existing real-world environment.
The best example to illustrate that it is well-known and widely-loved is Pokemon Go – a mobile game based on usage of AR technology where players are meant to be searching for virtual monsters that are appearing in their real-world surroundings while they are using an app.
Another example is the “Tech Live Look” app by Porsche, which speeds up car servicing. AR’s potential to improve consumer contact and competitiveness is becoming more and more clear, despite obstacles like high costs and the requirement for constant upgrades.
This demonstrates that AR is more than just a fad – it represents a significant movement in consumer tastes and design, fusing creative thinking with useful applications to transform digital design.
However, the application of the AR doesn’t end here – nowadays it is commonly used in many applications, either they are oriented on advertising and marketing, the sphere of retail, healthcare, education or meant to provide gaming experience – AR can be applicable everywhere around us. And longer it exists – wider usage it finds.
AR in UI/UX design: Market Dynamics
Although AR is traditionally perceived as a tool that enables users to enhance better experience mostly in the sphere of entertainment, it also boosts the practical side of business. A significant demand on the business side was fuelled by the pandemic,which led to the closure of numerous physical stores.
As a result, more companies are turning to investing in augmented reality technologies. Furthermore, according to Forbes, more users are becoming less reluctant to actively include AR and VR in shopping and education. On the other hand, augmented reality is already here. Businesses across numerous industries are already utilizing AR technology for a variety of purposes.
For example, AR is used to:
- Improve brand awareness
- Run product demos
- Improve customer experience
- Optimize workflows
The manufacturing industry is one of the areas where introduction of AR will be mostly tangible. With the elimination of physical restrictions like cables and devices, these solutions enable the convenient exchange of information to constitute a more efficient approach to manufacturing processes.
According to a research report on the “Augmented Reality (AR) Shopping Market,” the market size has already reached USD 3.5 billion as of 2023. The projections for its growth are even more impressive – the AR market is currently booming and is anticipated to reach an enormous $198 billion by 2025, with annual growth in AR technologies in Europe expected to be at 35%. This expansion is credited to advancements in AR technology and its increasing adoption across various sectors, particularly in the realm of UX/UI design. This surge in demand is creating a thriving market for design professionals skilled in AR implementation.
What AR brings to UX/UI design
The development of AR technologies has caused a fundamental change in the way we approach UX/UI design, consequently changing the nature of the field. These technologies enable the creation of rich, interactive experiences that engage all senses, surpassing the limits of traditional 2D and 3D methods. Designers now have to consider human motion and interaction in areas where the virtual and physical worlds meet, since consumers are increasingly drawn to apps that integrate digital data into real-world environments.
In addition to visual aesthetics, designers now grapple with the integration of Voice-Driven User Interfaces and Emotionally Intelligent Design. The evolving landscape envisions interfaces that not only resonate but also adapt based on user emotions. This metamorphosis in UX design closely mirrors changes in the job market, leading to a rise in specialized roles like AR UX designers and Voice UI specialists.
The demand for interdisciplinary expertise is on the rise, with designers possessing knowledge in coding, marketing, or psychology becoming valuable assets. The upcoming years present a myriad of opportunities and challenges for UX designers, driven by the rapidly expanding AR reality.
Designing for Augmented Reality
Compared to typical UX design, creating a design for AR is quite distinct and requires a different set of considerations. One of the primary aspects is the User Interface UI, where the design must seamlessly integrate with the user’s physical environment. This involves attention to factors like lighting, distance, and user mobility, ensuring that the UI is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.
Key points in AR UI design include placement, size and scale, contrast, animation, depth perception, and user movement. For instance, UI elements should naturally blend with real-world objects and adjust in size based on the user’s proximity. High contrast and smooth animations enhance visibility and interaction, while depth perception and responsiveness to user movement create a more immersive experience.
On the other hand, interaction design in AR focuses on creating intuitive ways for users to engage with digital elements within their real environment. This encompasses gestures, haptic feedback, voice recognition, object recognition, spatial interaction, and feedback. Pinching, swiping, and tapping are examples of natural and simple gestures. In addition to providing a tactile element to interactions, haptic feedback and object and voice recognition open up new avenues for connection with the digital environment. Spatial interaction allows users to manipulate virtual items as if they were real, and providing clear feedback is crucial for understanding the impact of their actions.
AR information architecture in design is about presenting information in an easily understandable and contextually relevant manner, considering factors like contextual relevance, hierarchy, visual design, navigation, content, and accessibility.
Finally, performance is critical for a seamless AR experience. This involves optimizing for device capabilities, ensuring low latency, accurate tracking, and comprehensive testing to handle different environmental conditions and user interactions.
Why designers need special software for the AR implementation
The implementation of Augmented Reality in UX/UI design creates a necessity of using specialized software due to the unique challenges and requirements of AR technology. Traditional design tools are typically geared towards static, 2D interfaces, whereas AR involves creating interactive, 3D experiences that blend digital elements with the real world. This integration demands software capable of handling spatial design, 3D modeling, and real-time interaction.
AR-specific design tools provide features like spatial mapping, depth sensing, and object recognition, which are essential for designing experiences that interact seamlessly with the physical environment. These tools also support the simulation of real-world lighting and textures, ensuring that digital elements appear natural and convincing when overlaid onto the user’s surroundings.
Additionally, AR design requires consideration of user interaction in a three-dimensional space, which is significantly different from traditional screen-based interfaces. Specialized AR design software allows designers to prototype and test these interactions, including gestures, gaze control, and voice commands .It enables the creation of user interfaces that are context-aware, responding dynamically to the user’s environment and movements.
This degree of interaction and design complexity need reliable software that can handle the technical components of augmented reality (AR), like tracking, performance optimisation, and hardware integration, in addition to facilitating the development of visually striking elements. In order to ensure that the final user experience is both immersive and intuitive, UX/UI designers rely on specialised AR tools to bridge the gap between standard design techniques and the innovative demands of augmented reality.
But the biggest obstacle in terms of designing for AR at the moment is the lack of a single piece of software that can combine all the features listed above and help designers improve their work. And it seems that it is another exciting market opportunity where the field of UX/UI will evolve.
Conclusion
This article provides an overview of how the development of AR/VR reality has changed the UX/UI profession. It is evident that this shift affects every aspect of the industry, including the technological advancements in tool technology and the required skill sets. Augmented reality has already had a huge impact on the UX/UI design area and has proven to be a very useful tool.
Still, UX/UI designers are essential to the development and expansion of this phenomenon. UX/UI designers require specialized tools and software to deal with augmented reality (AR) due to its significant differences and complexity from traditional design. Forward-looking, augmented reality (AR) offers countless creative opportunities for design and is turning into more than simply a hip new feature. It’s becoming an essential component of how we produce and consume digital content.
Authored by: Olga Abramova
I am Olga Abramova, an experienced UX/UI designer and Art Director with a deep passion for pioneering in the realms of 3D editors, chatbot startups, and AR/VR editors, where I’ve had the privilege to lead as the UX/UI Designer. My journey also includes a rewarding tenure as the Head of Design for a project that clinched a Cannes Lions award for an innovative smartphone design, reflecting my commitment to excellence and my continuous endeavor to redefine the boundaries of user interaction and digital creativity.