How can you create AR mobile apps that are both functional and visually appealing?

2 Design for the real world

One of the main challenges of creating AR mobile apps is designing for the real world, which is unpredictable and dynamic. You need to consider how your app will interact with the environment, the lighting, the camera, and the user's movements. For example, you need to ensure that your digital content is properly aligned and scaled to the real world, that it adapts to different lighting conditions, that it avoids occlusion and clutter, and that it responds to the user's gestures and feedback. You also need to provide clear instructions and cues for the user to guide them through the AR experience, such as markers, arrows, buttons, or voice commands.

3 Optimize for performance and battery life

Another challenge of creating AR mobile apps is optimizing for performance and battery life, which are crucial for a smooth and enjoyable user experience. AR apps are demanding on the device's resources, as they use the camera, the sensors, the graphics, and the network. You need to balance the quality and complexity of your digital content with the speed and efficiency of your app. For example, you need to use low-poly models, compressed textures, and simple animations for your 3D objects, reduce the number of draw calls and shaders, and cache or preload data whenever possible. You also need to monitor and limit the battery consumption of your app, by reducing the brightness, the frame rate, and the network usage.

4 Test and iterate with users

The final tip for creating AR mobile apps that are both functional and visually appealing is to test and iterate with users. You need to validate your assumptions and hypotheses about how your app will work and look in the real world, and how your users will interact with it. You need to collect feedback and data from your users, such as surveys, interviews, analytics, or usability tests, and use them to improve your app's functionality and design. You need to identify and fix any bugs, errors, or issues that might affect your app's performance or user experience. You need to keep updating and refining your app until you achieve your goals and meet your users' expectations.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?