How do you use AR design to solve real-world problems and create value?

While jumping to building the AR experience might attract you a lot, but it always helps to build the basic understanding of the use case. It has been really helpful for me to draw or scribble the idea on paper rather than struggling with the AR tools to find what fits the use case and what doesn't. If you have things written/drawn on paper, you can always look back at them if you are confused or lost at any point in the process of creating the AR experience.

One crucial aspect of understanding the problem and context is putting yourself in the user's shoes. Think of it like solving a puzzle, where each piece represents a different facet of the user's experience. By empathizing with the user's goals and pain points, you can design AR solutions that resonate with them on a personal level. We need to discuss the power of empathy in design and how it can lead to solutions that genuinely make a difference in people's lives.

Be very precise in what your audience is and how you would reach out to them, to make sure you get the maximum reach. For example:- You might want to use social AR platforms to create AR effects if you are creating fun public effects for anyone to use and share (giving you a large audience base). Or you might want to use an standalone app to have a custom, more detailed effects with no limits to size of your application.

When choosing an AR platform - you have to be very clear as to what is the purpose of your AR experience. Web-based AR experiences are the most accessible, as most current smartphones can already access these experiences. Web based AR experiences currently lean towards being an amazing way of promoting products and brands. If building an app based AR experience the app must have a strong utility or entertainment proposition for a potential user to download an app. App based experiences are great for a complete game experience or an AR utility application.

I have been in "the industry" since 1999, what I have seen since then are myriad of really great startups and cool premises that failed. The reason we had some good initial success in this field" as approaching the problem differently than others. It seems that most products are "solutions looking for a problem", with development efforts lacking subject matter expertise. The other problem is providing content after the "sale" (i.e. the pipeline of new material). Many people just can't crank out apps or sims quickly enough. Takes time and experience and a workflow that facilitates this. I would be VERY HAPPY to join any organization and add my experiences in addressing challenges in this regard and share what I could to help out.

When delving into the fascinating realm of augmented reality (AR) design, it's all about tailoring your approach to your audience's unique preferences and needs. This user-centric perspective is akin to ensuring a perfect fit. For the tech-savvy younger crowd, mobile AR experiences often steal the spotlight due to their familiarity with smartphone interactions. Meanwhile, industries like healthcare demand specialized headsets for their precision and performance. By crafting AR solutions that align seamlessly with their audience's desires, companies can unlock higher user engagement and ignite the spark of value creation. It's not merely about creating AR; it's about creating AR that precisely caters to what your audience craves.

When designing for AR it is import to consider if using AR enhances a users experience. Listening to a podcast or watching a video in AR may not make sense. But adding contextual information to a product or place can create a experience that is both useful and memorable.

Visual storytelling in the realm of AR design is a game-changer. Imagine crafting narratives and information that seamlessly blend with the physical world, engaging users in ways that traditional media can't match. Businesses and educators alike have been quick to embrace this dynamic approach, breathing life into their content with the magic of AR. For instance, educators are using AR to turn lessons into immersive learning adventures, where students can engage and be part of the learning experience and not just memorize it. Similarly, businesses are seizing the opportunity to make brand experiences unforgettable through engaging AR Marketing.

AR design requires testing in the world on the target device. Mockups may not necessarily work well. The final interface for an AR application will be the result of testing which interactions feel natural and are intuitive to the user.

To wrap things up...consider: - If designing for Entertainment or education, how long is the experience going to be. "AR elbow"...holding a phone at arms length...is tiring and no fun for cell phone based AR. - What kind of graphics you've designed has a bearing on battery life of the AR hardware (heavy polygon models...etc) - Budget for multiple OS versions. You'd be surprised how many AR apps work on one platform and not on another. Apple seems to be the biggest setback for webAR (WebXR) [they even have dummy buttons for webXR on ios safari that have not been activated yet] Finally...we need to ask 'does this app benefit from in-situ real world environment compositing' ...or can it exist as a simple 3D page/app/model.