Augmented Reality (AR) is the use of computer-generated visuals to create interactive experiences in the real world.
AR designers encounter unique issues that necessitate a departure from typical UX/UI approaches. AR's popularity is due to its ease of use on smartphones and potential for a variety of uses other than gaming. AR UX design stresses seamless integration with the user's environment, with an emphasis on environment, movement, onboarding, interaction, and user interface.
Successful augmented reality design stresses user safety, comfort, and engagement while utilizing familiar UI patterns. It is critical to integrate AR design with clear corporate goals and user needs, ensuring intuitive experiences and widespread adoption.
What Is Augmented Reality?
Augmented reality (AR), a technology that overlays computer-generated images onto the real world, is called Augmented Reality.
The layer is added to actual reality, and a third layer is created. AR applications allow users to interact with the action and receive feedback in real time. AR Designers face many challenges when transitioning to AR design.
Although experienced designers may have the skills and knowledge to design mobile UX designs, these competencies might not apply to AR design.
There is a lot of potential in AR design. In contrast to virtual reality, which calls for headsets, augmented reality can also be used on mobile devices.
Because AR is supported by both Android and iOS devices, it is a desirable choice for marketers and developers.
Even though it's largely utilized for gaming, AR UX design is a means to make apps more usable and appealing to a wider audience.
Why Is AR Gaining Attention?
Virtual reality users must invest in pricey gear to fully immerse themselves in an alternative experience.
Compared to virtual reality, which requires pricey equipment, augmented reality can be used on a mobile device.
Smartphones running Android and iOS may drop virtual items using their cameras at once. For marketers and developers, augmented realities are now more useful.
Over 3.2 billion people use smartphones worldwide, which is only increasing. According to Statista, the consumer AR hardware market is valued at 2.4 billion US dollars and is expected to grow to more than nine billion by 2027.
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UX Design Offers AR Opportunities.
UX design starts with the understanding of users' needs and their journeys. It also focuses on facilitating user flow.
AR apps are about creating great customer experiences using a seamless combination of software and hardware.
The environment is essentially overlaid with AR experiences. The experience becomes extremely spatial and contextual as a result.
This includes the spatial experience as a new layer of design considerations.
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What Is UX Design In Augmented Reality?
UX design refers to creating a product, website, or service that is responsive to users' needs. UX design that places the user at the center allows for seamless information flow and interaction.
It's about intuition, empathy, human psychology, and the ability to use intuition.
The term "augmented reality" (AR) refers to a technology that enables Remote Augmented Reality Designers and Developers to enhance how the real world appears to users by using computer-generated information.
To make augmented reality apps, UX design can be integrated with hardware and software. The user's surroundings affect their AR experiences.
As a result, UX design needs to be spatial, interactive, contextual, and contextual. It's challenging to strike this equilibrium.
The Five Pillars Of Great UX In Augmented Reality
Users prefer to interact with interface elements covertly and are unaware of what they include. This deviates from website and mail applications' UX (user experiences).
The Augmented Reality user experience (also known as 3D user interface) prioritizes interaction and aesthetic appeal.
Users find the virtual environment appealing, and their surroundings do not divert their attention.
These five UX design pillars will help you define the factors you need to consider when creating your UI and experiences with virtual objects.
These criteria will help you kick-start your design process:
- Environment
- Movement
- Onboarding
- Interaction
- UI (User Interface)
It is crucial to design for AR using the first two pillars (environment & movement), but the third pillar (onboarding, interaction, and UI) is equally important for traditional 2D screen space UI.
Environment
The environment is crucial in augmented reality designers because it spatially connects with the real world.
You can break down the environment into four main categories, each defined by how far from the user. AR can be used in intimate spaces to create face filters, hand tracking, or hand augmentations.
Experiences using augmented reality can improve your personal space. They could consist of actual things, actual people, or the surroundings.
The video below demonstrates an augmented reality (AR) learning experience, using instructional models to illustrate chemistry principles on an interactive digital layer.
Another instance of augmented reality being applied in private space is the design of the well-known board and card games.
You might think of augmented collector cards and pizza boxes that can interact with one another.
The social space is next. You can target areas easily occupied by others if you move the camera farther away.
This is unlike a private space, where you have greater privacy. This area segment can be used to augment objects or multiplayer AR games. AR experiences in public spaces are often anchored at locations with enough space to place an augmentation.
Movement
How well a product or service integrates with the minds of today's users is key to its success. The next pillar of UX design is movement.
When designing, you want the user to be the most active part of your experience.
The primary responsibility of a designer is to help the user navigate the environment. Smartphones and head-worn devices only offer a limited view.
You will direct the user's gaze by including navigation elements on the screen. This will help them navigate the environment and make it more enjoyable. Visually guiding the user is important. However, you should not dictate where to go.
This could cause unexpected hiccups or even accidents.
Onboarding
User onboarding will be our next topic of discussion. Making user-friendly and interesting augmented reality experiences can be challenging.
Simply adding markers to your location or applying the information to an image is insufficient. Understanding what your user sees and how they interact with it is critical. Keep in mind that the essential part of AR experiences is not accuracy for users.
What matters most is usability. A second factor to be aware of is that different devices may have different technical limitations regarding AR support.
For example, markerless AR would require that the user move the device so that the computer vision algorithms could detect different feature points across multiple poses and calculate surfaces.
Scanning takes less than a minute for devices with an integrated LiDAR sensor (like the iPad Pro). For other devices, however, you might find it useful to provide a complete onboarding UI.
A pop-up menu should guide users through the steps necessary for AR experiences to launch successfully. For offline onboarding, physical techniques like signage may occasionally be used.
This enables you to share information about the AR software and a QR code that will make it easy for users to download it immediately.
Interaction
After the debut of the AR experience, we will move on to interaction as our subsequent UX design component.
Your user will gain from an intuitive and responsive engagement from this stage.
When developing for touch, the following gestures and prompts are most frequently used:
- Tap to select
- To translate, drag the cursor starting at the center of your object.
- To rotate, drag the handle away from the edge of your object.
- Scale the scale
Responsive interaction is about taking into consideration the distance between the objects and the camera.
This will determine how difficult or easy it is for the user to interact with the object. You can make the interaction with distant objects easier by increasing the sphere's bounding box.
Particularly when creating tablet apps, limiting input from fingers would be a good idea. Because most people hold tablets in their hands, it will be challenging to interact with UI or features positioned in the middle of the device.
Instead, gaze input can be utilized to activate intros, interactions, or buttons by focusing on objects in the Augmented Space for an extended period.
This can be clear in virtual reality when there are no controllers. The majority of VR experiences are simply gaze-driven. If you're designing for a wider audience, consider accessibility features.
You can let the user move around the augmentation by allowing them to rotate it or reset its position.
UI (User Interface)
We want to end with UI. It consists of both augmented and conventional screen space. You can use them interchangeably depending on their purpose.
UI enhances immersion in the augmented spaces as it is perceived as part of the experience. However, screen space UI can sometimes be easier to read and interact with.
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Here's A Quick Guide To Augmented Reality UI Design
Identify The Problem And Ensure AR Is The Right Tool To Solve It.
When creating AR apps, the phrase "measure twice, cut once" is essential. Before you start developing and designing AR software, it's critical to understand what you want from it.
AR is the first step in resolving the user issue. Product designers must initially determine the needs of users. The essential query is, "Do these issues demand immersing consumers in real-time?"
Augmented Reality Design Should Be Linked To Clear Business Goals And User Objectives.
An AR app should not be created just because it is trendy. That's almost guaranteed to lead to poor UX. Instead, you need to evaluate AR displays' functionality and match it with the user experience.
AR should provide an additional layer of value to apps that help reduce the time it takes to complete tasks.
AR should empower users and increase their productivity. Take the Ikea's Place app. The app lets you see if a product would fit in your environment. It would take longer to place a couch or lamp in your space.
Hardware Capabilities Are Important.
Only offer AR features on capable devices. Your app should only be available to AR-capable devices if that is its primary purpose.
Your app may have features that require AR capabilities. Don't give users an error message if the device doesn't support these features. Avoid allowing the feature to be used on unsupported devices.
You Don't Have To Limit Your Choices To Rectangular Frames.
UX and UI designers are prone to starting their ideas within a box. We usually design new experiences for mobile devices by drawing within the iPhone screen frame.
This approach works for regular apps but not for AR. Why? Why?
AR doesn't just work on the device screen. AR becomes more like a viewfinder that allows us to see the outside world.
We should let go of the rigidity and consider interfaces as flexible.
Comfortable Interactions
AR design is no exception. User comfort is a priority for product designers. You should anticipate that users will use your app in many real-world settings.
Establish Your Initial Expectations Regarding The Space Needed For Interactions
Allow consumers to comprehend the area needed for augmented reality. Can you use an app in your living room? Or will they need a bigger space? Inform people upfront about the requirements for your app so they may better grasp how their surroundings affect their AR experiences.
Include instructions and a preview of AR interactions in the app's store or Play Store. The private or public environment.
AR design solutions are integrated into users' environments, so you want them to feel natural. AR design is affected by the environment.
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Product designers can expect long user sessions and complicated interactions in a private setting (e.g., at home or work).
Interactions can involve the whole user body.
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It is important to keep your user sessions short in public places (e.g., outdoors).
It doesn't matter how much people enjoy AR; they won't want to hold a device for a prolonged period.
Gather all details about the environment that will be augmented. The better the product will be if you can identify all environmental conditions before it is built.
Safety Design
Sometimes AR users get so immersed in AR experiences that they forget about the physical world around them.
They may accidentally bump into people or objects. You can prevent this behavior by reminding users to look around.
Do Not Make Users Go Backwards.
If a user moves backwards, the chances of hitting furniture or other objects are much higher. It is recommended that users move forward and not backwards when designing experiences.
Take Into Account Physical Limitations.
Your product will be used by users who can hold their mobile devices. To avoid physical strains, comfortably design your product.
It can be exhausting to hold a device at one angle or distance for long periods. You can avoid fatigue by keeping your sessions short and adding downtime to allow users to relax.
Users Can Take A Break.
People tend to spend more time on experience if they fear losing their progress. People playing AR games often lose their progress if they cannot save it.
Allow users to pause and save their progress within the AR app. Allow users to return to the same place they were at before moving.
It Is Essential That Users Can Use The Website.
Product design should include usability testing. Once you have a working prototype of your augmented-reality design, it is time to run extensive usability testing on the product under real conditions.
The ultimate goal is to make the user's interactions with the product easy.
Reduce Input
AR experiences should require minimal input from users. It will be difficult for users to input data simultaneously when looking at an augmented image on the screen.
You can also use other methods to collect information. This could be done with a camera on a device or sensors.
Immerse Users Into An Experience
Do Not Clutter The UI
AR experiences that are engaging and immersive allow users to interact with the AR environment. This happens only when users believe what they see is real.
It is important to use as much screen space as possible to display your app's real-world and virtual objects. Do not clutter the screen with information and UI controls that are visible. They will reduce the immersive experience.
When Placing Real Objects, Try To Create Convincing Illusions.
To make users feel the augmented reality world is real, your app should update the scene 60 times per second.
This will prevent objects from flickering and aid in their perception of reality. You may measure Framerate (in frames per second, FPS) via the Xcode app for iOS or Android Studio for Android.
Use Audio
Audio can be used for many purposes. Audio effects can enhance the user experience of a product. It is possible to add sound effects to verify that the user has picked up a virtual object.
The right music can help to envelop the user in the virtual world and create the right mood.
Facilitate Onboarding
AR environments are something that many users have never seen before. Users must be guided on interacting with AR environments when they first encounter them.
A key part of creating great UX is onboarding. Let users quickly get started in AR by making the tutorial part of your main experience flow.
Do Not Try To Teach Users Everything At Once
In the context of real interactions, give instructions or tips about how to do specific things. This will ensure that users aren't overwhelmed with information and can easily access all relevant information.
Example: Provide steps and tips to help users navigate through AR games.
Visually Guide The User.
Use a combination of motion, animation, and visual clues to instruct people. Make as many links as you can by using in-app experiences as examples.
Use Familiar UI Patterns.
When developing augmented reality, many designers are eager to develop and take advantage of novel interaction patterns.
They do this because they think it will make the app more appealing to prospective users. Users are prompted to spend more time studying how the program functions when the learning curve is widened.
When creating augmented reality interfaces, avoiding reinventing the wheel is preferable. Utilize your users' prior knowledge instead.
Most mobile users are accustomed to swiping, tapping, dragging, and swiping objects. You can utilize these interaction patterns in your UI. As a result, you won't need to teach the customer how to perform basic operations in a brand-new manner.
Conclusion
The idea that people seek experiences, not technology, is the most crucial thing an AR designer needs to remember.
The technology selected must be user-friendly, address certain issues, and be intuitive. Visit our other online resources, like our articles and weekly webinars, to learn more about user experience and the sector.
For mid-career professionals, we provide specialized courses and career accelerators. In addition, we provide seminars taught by practitioners and consults to organizations looking to enhance their customer experience strategies.
Paul is a highly skilled Full Stack Developer with a solid educational background that includes a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Software Engineering, as well as a decade of hands-on experience. Certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect, and Agile Scrum Master bolster his knowledge. Paul's excellent contributions to the software development industry have garnered him a slew of prizes and accolades, cementing his status as a top-tier professional. Aside from coding, he finds relief in her interests, which include hiking through beautiful landscapes, finding creative outlets through painting, and giving back to the community by participating in local tech education programmer.
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