Category: AR

Pokemon Go has hit the digital industry by storm. An excellent gaming app backed by the technology of Augmented Reality has been into trend past few years. The tech giants believe it to revolutionize the mobile industry. Owing to the fact that AR aids support to the wearable technology, a plot of research follows. Technological experts are meddling deep in the study of AR looking for insights that would layer up the massive scope of the technology.

According to a survey, the total market value of AR sums up to $3.5 billion and is anticipated to rise to $198 billion by the end of 2025. Also, the market size of AR embedded apps would surpass $ 8 billion by the end of 2021.

Sure, the numbers are convincing enough to integrate the technology of Augmented Reality to your apps and give a boost to your business. The technology is furnished with extraordinary features that gel well with the requirements of the varied industrial domain. Given the fact that technology has tremendous scope, app developers are aware that AR technology would narrow down the process of human interaction and in a way improve the overall user experience.

3 Ways to Use AR in Apps Driving User Attention

No doubt the technology is not too old and so are its benefits. Integrating different AR rich features in your app might help you build a huge user base and likewise enhance user engagement. So, now without blabbering much, we will straight forward see the top 3 ways by which you can use AR technology in your app.

#1. Promote Product Testing Via Free Trials

Gone are the days when you had to pitch hundred of emails to notify your potential customers about a product or a service. The current digital age allows you to introduce the feature of virtual testing of a product on your website. Users can use this method to walk through the buyer’s journey. Additionally, you would cut down on the cost of manually approaching a customer for product testing.

For instance, consider:

• Trying clothes or makeup virtually on yourself before buying them. (Retail Sector)
• A virtual visit to the property (Realty Sector)
• Virtual traveling experience (Tourism Industry)
• Giving the internal image of the hotel to the visitors prior booking (Hospitality Industry)

And the list goes on. Almost every sector has the scope to embed AR technology. Creating a virtual vision saves the cost and time of the organization with the added advantage of enhanced user experience.

#2. Build A Better Portal For Higher Engagement

Immersive User Experience, the term that seeks companies to break the engagement barrier and integrate technologies to boost user experience at your website. Like for example, deploy a 3D tour across your website. Such a feature is not common and witnessing one at your website or app would promote the popularity leveraging your app visit and additionally reduce bounce rates. Another idea could be using the AR technology to know user preferences and then display similar results. For example, e-commerce stores narrow down the suggestion list to the ones similar to the products purchased or searched for, by a user earlier. Providing users with a personalized experience instill a sense of trust and the probability of sales is undeniably leveraged.

#3. Customized Learning System For Employees

Customizing is always beneficial and not only for the user end but also for the employees. An organization is known by its employees and hence in order to drive sales, it is desirable to have a team of skilled employees. Training employees are helpful when it comes to marketing and convincing users to initiate a purchase. Instead of spending money on HR professionals, AR technology help organization deploy a system of personalized training helping employees perform better. Big firms such as Walmart and Verizon had already implemented the system of personalized training to boost their employee productivity.

Verdict

A digital interface all around us, AR technology layers up a virtual image on the existing picture. Amplifying the digital experience, AR technology has transformed the way people view and use smartphones. No wonder why the technology is pacing at a tremendous speed edging out the opportunities for business owners to succeed. And, the options are not limited. AR technology has been used in a range of ways helping the business owners scale high on their success graph.

This article is contributed by Naiya Sharma, Content Manager with Apptunix.

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The AR, VR, and MR market is growing fast and it is expected that its size will grow up to $220 billion by 2021. Almost all fields are already using mixed reality, and an educational field is not the exception.

Many IT companies offer mobile app development services with AR/VR capabilities both for educational purposes and other ones. Let’s go deeper in the world of VR/AR in education and single out all the benefits of using these technologies for learning.

Mixed reality in education: its potential

Recently AR and VR were not the technologies that you should use in education, but everything is changing. In fact, mixed reality modifies education field drastically, it helps people improve their learning process and gain new experience faster.

Many companies develop educational apps that enhance educational processes, but virtual reality and augmented reality make this process much better.

Start with AR

Augmented reality is a preferable option for educational apps since it is more convenient to use. AR apps don’t require you to use special hardware like VR helmets or glasses. And the educational process just turns into a game.

Everything you need to use AR apps is a smartphone or a tablet. AR educational apps have the following benefits:

• Paper textbooks sink into oblivion. Try to force children to read a common textbook or play a game? I bet you know the answer. An app is much more interesting for kids and they will learn faster.
• No costly hardware. As we noted above, no helmets/glasses and other equipment are required. Besides that, AR native app doesn’t need the Internet connection, it may work offline.
• Deeper engagement. Students can immerse in the learning process and study everything in a more quality way. Colorful objects, 3D pictures are capturing much more attention.

As a result, AR opens new doors for students. But let’s speak more in details about the benefits of mixed reality in education.

Advantages of VR/AR in education

Strong sides of mixed reality are obvious and we will highlight them:

Engagement goes deeper

Especially it concerns a virtual reality. Just imagine, you wear a helmet and you can immerse in the digital world of history, geography, medicine, and so on. When you read a book, everything depends on your mind, but virtual reality gives you an opportunity to see everything from inside.

Visual thinking is improved

When children listen to teachers and see everything in digital pictures, they understand everything better and they learn it much faster. Besides that, they memorize new data much better and their visual thinking is improved. Everything is visualized, teachers don’t need to draw a picture.

More concern

If you remember, years of learning were rather interesting but rather often it was very boring. Black-and-white pages of textbooks didn’t catch an eye. But virtual or augmented reality makes a real revolution. It changes the attitude of students to the learning processes, they can return to prehistorical days to see dinosaurs, or see how Earth is formed.

Absolute safety

The main advantage is that AR and VR are completely safe for students. Except that it may lead to gaming addiction. But on the whole virtual reality allows students to drive a car, go in for skydiving, do a medical operation and so on. And nobody will be hurt. Everything is only on the screen.

Focusing

Better engagement leads to a more strong focusing on a task. Students pay more attention to the task implementation, they immerse in the process, they learn new material and are not distracted.

Collaboration

Also, virtual reality helps students collaborate and work with a teacher in the digital world. They may work in a team and their task implementation goes more productive.

Today it is not already a sci-fi movie. Some universities and schools in various regions of the world already apply mixed reality in educational processes and the result is amazing.

Available AR&VR projects

As there are many apps for VR and AR are already created, but some of them gained serious popularity, and we would like to pay attention to them.

Nanome

It is a virtual reality app that is created for chemists and everyone who is interested in this science. You can work with proteins and other cells on a molecular level. It may seem that you become so small that you can work with nanotechnology and see each cell in front of you.

This software is very cognitive and it may become a real magic wand for young scientists.

Google Tour Creator

It is a web-based tool to build interactive tours wherever you want. Virtual 360 tours can be then viewed in a stereoscopic mode in iOS and Android devices.

Thus, teachers can create their own tours for pupils and students to give them an opportunity to visit any place of the world.

Curiscope

This AR app is sold together with a T-shirt that has a special QR code printed. When you use the app, you can see all internal organs through the screen of a smartphone or a tablet. This app is created for future doctors or any other enthusiasts who are interested in human anatomy.

Why has mixed reality a big future in education?

And, finally, let’s summarize why mixed reality in education prevails.

Gamification rules the world

Nowadays the majority of the world population use digital technologies, they even live there, chat with their friends, play games, watch movies, and so on. And sometimes it is impossible to force them to learn something. Then, why not to combine learning and game playing?

Mixed reality does it. Everybody likes to play. That is why AR and VR revolutionize the world and they change the approach to the organization of educational processes.

Technologies become affordable

Well, the development process of well-thought-out VR or AR app is rather long and costly, it is usually available for people for not a high price.

Besides that, AR apps don’t require expensive hardware, as we already mentioned, so it is a rather affordable way to give students new immersive experience.

Practical benefits

The practice is nothing without theory. Students should know a theory to start practicing. That is why VR and AR software makes it possible for students to learn theory and then practice it in the virtual environment safely. For example, virtual surgery. Medical students can do virtual heart surgery and consider all mistakes they do to avoid them in real life.

So the practical benefits of mixed reality in education are enormous.

Who knows what will be a big thing in the future of MR in the educational field? We are sure that it will deeply come into our lives. You just need to follow the right road!

This article is contributed by Sergey Lypchenko, technical writer at Cleveroad — mobile app development company.

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Augmented reality can be implemented in almost any industry to overlay a different reality onto pre-existing reality using various types of devices such as smartphones and smart-glasses. AR technology superimposes computer-generated images of a different setting to alter the user’s perspective of reality. This amazing technology works with other advanced technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT). Pokemon Go opened the doors of AR to mobile gaming.

Are you confused between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality?

If you are not an AR/VR expert, you may think AR and VR as similar technologies. Virtual Reality (VR) is a technology that submerges the person into a completely different scenario. On the other hand, Augmented Reality (AR) helps the users see an altered version of the reality on one’s mobile screen or smart glasses. User needs to wear a headset for VR to cover the actual environment around.

With AR, images are superimposed on the device, whereas VR is a whole new setting. AR can be used for driving, indoor navigation, and gaming. VR is mostly used for simulating scenarios like experiencing events, training, and more.

Where is AR going to be in the next 2–5 years?

Experts assume that the AR/VR industry will be worth more than $25 Billion by 2025. This figure shows that investment in Augmented Reality will be a wise decision.

AR has applications for almost every industry, from education to real estate, from healthcare to retail, and from manufacturing to travel and logistics. Doctors and medical professionals can use AR technology during surgeries to ensure accuracy.

It can provide you a glimpse of how your potential house or office would look, or will show the placement of furniture in your home. You can try an overpriced trouser or top from the comfort of your home and determine how it looks on you.

AR technology is in its teen years, but it continues to grow at a lightning speed. Several billion-dollar companies are investing in AR to deliver a great user experience.

Augmented Reality’s Insights into the Coming Future

#1. Combination of AR and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence is required for Augmented Reality operations. It allows objects to be labeled and identified according to the viewer’s perspective. We use many social media applications today that use a mix of AR and AI. For instance: You may have seen filters like bunny ears or pig filter on Snapchat or Instagram. These filters are based on consumer-facing apps and engage the users.

Such apps cannot function if both AI and AR are combined together. We can expect more social media apps in the coming years.

#2. Scope of AR for Education industry

AR educational apps will surely transform the traditional learning procedures. Augmented Reality makes learning fun and engaging. Using this technology, information or data can be shared to a learner in real-time. Visualization and interactive lessons can help students learn the subjects in a better way. Safe work training can be provided to aspiring professionals. Medical students can practice heart surgery while astronauts can learn to operate a space shuttle without any risks. Students who wish to enroll in schools and universities can take AR tours to get an understanding of the campus.

#3. AR’s and Content Delivery across Social Media

We know that various social media platforms use AR-based advertising. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat already use AR technology to lure the users. AR is used for delivering interactive content across social networking websites. 2D content can be converted to 3D for better visibility and engagement. New markets for AR will shape up the social media in 2019 and the coming years. Brands and marketers will learn the new trends in AR and use this technology for real-world experiences on social media platforms. Let’s wait to see how this futuristic technology impacts the users via top social media networks.

#4. AR revolutionizing Automobile Industry

Autonomous cars have been a buzz word since the last few years. Automobile manufacturers all over the world are embracing AR and AI technologies to enhance safety and increase the production of cars and vehicles. Robots are making the lives easier by tackling manufacturing of automobiles. This not only streamlines the production process, but also increases the turn-around times and reduces cost at the same time. On the other hand, consumers can take a test drive of the car they are interested to purchase without leaving the comfort of their home. Users love to look at the car’s engine, see it from a driver’s perspective, and hear it in motion using their smartphones. AR-based test drives are the future of the automobile industry. Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Volvo, and Toyota have already started working in this direction to deliver awesome experiences to the users.

#5. AR transforming the Retail Industry

Apparel manufacturers and retailers are creating AR experiences to entice the users. When a user walks into a store, he can scan the picture of signage and get discount coupons. Another amazing way of implementing AR in retail industry is store mirrors. AR-enabled mirrors can help users try different outfits within no time and check the colors and design availability. Virtual fitting rooms are the hottest trends these days. Customers can try the outfits virtually without even wearing them. Even décor stores use AR by offering a detailed view of furniture using Augmented reality.

#6. How AR affects Real Estate?

Most of the realtors face the challenge of selling the properties. Compelling visual presentations of the properties create an immersive experience for the clients for a specific property. Gone are the days when users had to travel to have a glimpse of the property they’re interested in. Now, with the help of AR technology, users can visualize all the rooms and get a clear idea about the property. Virtual property tours can help real estate brokers and builders save a lot of time, efforts, and resources. Moreover, the clients can take more informed decisions of buying the properties.

The Takeaway

Technology experts consider AR to be the future as it is helping entrepreneurs and consumers ease their lives. Fun, interaction, and engagement are the three major reasons why augmented reality is becoming a popular technology luring millions of people worldwide. This future-ready, innovative technology brings in a lot of advancements in almost all the fields in the world. Xamarin can be used for building feature-rich AR apps. iOS relies on ARKit and Android relies on ARCore. Augment reality in your iOS and Android apps and engage the users. Be ready to experience many new surprises brought in by AR technology this year.

This article is contributed by Bilal Momin, co-founder and CEO of i-Verve Inc — Xamarin App Development Company

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Augmented reality solutions are offering brands the power to create immersive customer experiences. Such solutions deploy user’s view of reality with computer-generated 3D images.

Brands are always being looked forward in order to integrate more appealing ways to communicate and connect with existing customers.

Augmented Reality is there with interactive methods that are technologically-fueled experiences that foster higher levels of engagement.

AR is creating and spearheading a revolution in terms of making the whole process more interactive, real and life-like for customers.

We live in a world that is ever-changing and evolving the ways we communicate and share information.

One of the advanced ways to communicate and learn is through augmented reality (AR) solutions that are instantaneous and can become extremely immersive in every sense.

Augmented reality and customer services

Augmented Reality (AR) is revolutionizing the customer experience with the ability to overlay physical objects and images on a user’s view of the real world.

AR has emerged as a pioneering tool that allows brands to interact spontaneously with consumers on their mobile devices.

AR solutions have created imperative and limitless opportunities, that transformed the customer journey into an immersive visual interactive experience. Hence we can say that customer experience is now a new digital experience.

Advance AR apps enrich the relationship between consumer and brand and serve as a powerful solution for companies. It adds value at every stage of the customer journey while dealing with the brands and their services.

Customer Service Transformation

Gamification experience

AR has offered such popular apps that have become a widespread example of augmented reality. It lets the users feel unreal transforming into reality. Hence brands are taking advantage by incorporating it into their product.

Such gamification experience is helping the brands to engage the user by offerings realistic experiences.

Hence, by tuning game-like experience makes strong relationships between customers by creating their shopping into interactive gamification.

Engaging experience

AR solutions are a perfect source of capitalizing on the connection between technology and human engagement.

These AR apps are appealing the way they act as storytelling of the sight while connecting to users. The user creates an emotional level while interacting with the app.

This helps the brands to develop their own space and standout in a crowded marketplace. This technology is helping the businesses to go beyond the actual product itself while broadcasting the services.

Interactive packaging experience

These days’ brands are integrating AR as the medium to attract the users, allowing them to scan their packaging. This is the best way to broadcast more information within the possible interactions of the user.

Different brands of various industries have incorporated a variety of augmented reality experiences into their packaging.

Their aim is to offer the consumer an interactive and practical visual experience. This experience is helpful in the demonstrations of information related to using products and its role in user life.

Self-service experience

The concept of engaging users during post-sale support is important for the brands. This helps to solidify the relationship and drive customer loyalty to ensure customer satisfaction.

For this reason, a number of brands are coming up with post-sales service integrated with AR technology. As a result, AR-based self-service support solutions, has proven itself in a wide range of applications worldwide. As part of these services, the customers can access the product’s knowledge base using a smartphone.

Such an AR solution is helpful in the offering training material displayed in an AR overlay. Moreover, this allows users to know step-by-step instructions virtually by enabling into powerful AR-based self-service.

Bottom line

AR utilizes technology to improve the experience of how our senses perceive things in the real world while modifying the vision of reality. This involves creating an entirely new immersive reality for our senses. Therefore, businesses are utilizing this feature of AR in this crowded consumer marketplace.

This article is contributed by Colleen Jansen, Business Marketing Specialist at Quytech — Augmented Reality App Development Company.

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