Augmented reality (AR) is a powerful technology that can create immersive and interactive experiences for users. However, developing AR applications is not without challenges and pitfalls. In this article, we will explore some of the common issues that AR developers face and how to avoid them.
One of the first decisions you need to make as an AR developer is which platform to target. There are various options, such as native mobile apps, web-based AR, or dedicated AR devices. Each platform has its own advantages and disadvantages, such as accessibility, performance, features, and compatibility. You should consider your target audience, your project goals, and your budget before choosing a platform. For example, if you want to reach a wide and diverse audience, you might opt for web-based AR, which does not require any installation or specific hardware. However, if you need high-quality graphics and advanced functionalities, you might prefer native mobile apps or AR devices, which can leverage the device's sensors and capabilities.
Choosing the best platform for your AR project involves considering your target audience and the features you want to include. Sometimes, it's about finding the balance between what your audience wants and the capabilities required. For marketing and e-commerce applications, web-based AR makes a lot of sense as it something that a user can immediately access by clicking on a link. For an engineering AR project, app-based AR might work better as there will be less limitations on the AR capabilities and also other factors like file size.
You'd be unpleasantly surprised at the 'cost' of building a so-called WebAR experience. There's a roadblock to mass deployment, becuase of Apple. They don't support the webXR (it's been 3 years and counting). Thus you'll need to pay for 3rd party WebXR service providers who are prohibitively expensive. So do your homework when budgeting for such an approach. ( I'd mentioned this in the previous Linkedin article on AR)
Another key aspect of AR development is designing for the real world. Unlike virtual reality (VR), which creates a fully artificial environment, AR overlays digital content on top of the physical world. This means that you need to account for the variability and unpredictability of the real world, such as lighting, occlusion, scale, and user movement. You should design your AR content to be adaptable and responsive to different scenarios and contexts. For example, you should use realistic lighting and shadows to match the environment, avoid placing content behind or inside objects that might block the view, and adjust the size and position of content according to the user's distance and perspective.
To achieve this effectively you can focus on creating AR interactions with UX frameworks. It is not enough to simply understand the general user, instead take an 'inclusive-design' approach, making design choices that take into account a larger variety of identifiers such as environments, abilities, devices, platforms and demographics. This will help you ensure that you are developing your AR experience in a way that puts the user first and because you have considered the less-likely world scenarios that users may be using your content in.
When creating AR (Augmented Reality) apps, it's important to focus on the end users. Ensure they have a smooth experience without any confusion. Test with various users to get an idea about the ease of use. Another common mistake is not blending the virtual with the real. Virtual objects should seem like they're part of the real world. For example, consider an AR game where players find treasures in a park. If a treasure appears floating or players can't "interact" with it, the game feels unreal and broken. Ensuring realism enhances user enjoyment.
Performance is another critical factor for AR development. AR applications often require intensive processing and rendering, which can affect the battery life, memory usage, and responsiveness of the device. Poor performance can also lead to lag, jitter, or crashes, which can ruin the user experience and cause motion sickness. To optimize your AR application for performance, you should follow some best practices, such as using low-poly models, reducing texture size and quality, minimizing draw calls, and caching data. You should also test your application on different devices and environments and monitor the performance metrics, such as frame rate, CPU usage, and memory consumption.
Absolutely agree. A lot of my time and efforts go into evaluating how much detail is needed and decimating/reducing the file size of assets as much as possible so I can include the animations I want and still keep the file size small enough that it loads easily.
The final step of AR development is testing and iterating. Testing is essential to ensure that your AR application works as intended and meets the user's expectations and needs. You should test your application on various devices, platforms, and environments, and collect feedback from users and stakeholders. You should also use analytics tools to track and measure the user behavior, engagement, and satisfaction. Based on the testing results and feedback, you should iterate and improve your application until you achieve your desired outcome.
One of the best ways to avoid common pitfalls in AR development is to learn from others. There are many resources and examples of AR applications that you can use as inspiration and reference. You can also join online communities and forums where you can ask questions, share tips, and get support from other AR developers. You can also attend events and workshops where you can network and learn from experts and peers. By learning from others, you can gain valuable insights and skills that can help you overcome the challenges and pitfalls of AR development.
Empathy and proactive strategies to address resistance to adopting new technology. Resistance is a natural response driven by various factors including privacy concerns, unfamiliarity, and potential disruptions.