Intensify your Mobile Apps with Augmented Reality

A recent report by Statista revealed that the revenue generated by AR-based apps is estimated at $6,218.23 million by 2020. Augmented Reality has grown dramatically since it was first implemented in 2016 as Pokemon Go. It is an AR-based gaming app capable of launching virtual battles by making the Pokemon characters appear in their physical surroundings. It had almost 500 million worldwide downloads and hence popularized the concept of AR in mobile app development.

Businesses can utilize Augmented Reality in developing mobile apps to enhance the user experience. They can increase user engagement by integrating physical and virtual environments.

Why Businesses Should Develop AR Mobile Apps

Augmented Reality has changed how smartphones are used. Interactive user sessions are the topmost priority. Hence, the combination of virtual sounds and visuals with reality can take the user experience to another level. Following are the main reasons why businesses should develop AR-based apps:

Strengthened Brand

Brands that introduce AR in their apps gain a uniqueness in the market. AR can popularize the business’s name in no time. People are more likely to remember an immersive experience. And hence, they would associate that to a brand more easily. More than advertisements, an experiential promotion would be long-seated in the customers’ minds.

Widened Scope of Possibilities

Features like face and object recognition offer simplification and ease of access. Eventually, it offers businesses a wider scope of possibilities of having business with their users. Users can make better and informed decisions without much thinking. Many home improvement and fashion brands are using AR techniques for visualization. These tools enable the users to visualize the outcome right on their smartphone before they take the decision.

Increased Business Revenues

Gaming, education, and retail sectors are the top three segments that have earned huge revenues through AR integration. Enhanced gaming graphics and visualizations, rendering objects into 3-dimensional learning experiences, and virtual trial rooms are the new buzzwords. Real-time progress and digital functions are the two main drivers for increases revenues.

The 4 Approaches for Integrating AR In Businesses

Marker-based Apps

Such apps use the technology of image recognition. These apps work on recognizing any pattern, code, image or even a real-life object with 3D markers. As the app scans through the camera, the result is displayed overlayed with augmented reality objects.

Location-based Apps

These apps work on different detectors like cameras, GPS, accelerometers, and other sensors. These sensors establish the user’s location and position. When it is captured, an AR object is placed overlaying it.

Projection-based Apps

Projection-based is also known as spatial augmented reality. The technology projects artificial light on to a surface and is usually utilized in conferences or larger events. It increases interactivity by using sensors and 3D technology.

Superimposition-based Apps

As the name suggests, such technology works on object recognition. Here, the original image is replaced by augmented one either fully or partially. These apps work great where something needs to be explained or demonstrated through a visual tour.

How Businesses Can Enhance Their Mobile Apps With AR:

Studies have estimated that the user base generating AR-based content is going to increase up to 200 million by 2020. AR is growing at an unstoppable speed with its venture into social media. Users can now do everything from trying clothes to new face filters through AR. Here are some ways mobile apps can be enhanced with AR:

Improved App Designs

Mobile app designs can be seamlessly streamlined by using AR technology. Designers can have the freedom to look beyond traditional constraints. Layers of the virtual world can be integrated with the real ones to reshape the user experience. Simulation of graphics can be blended with retinal projection to enhance the design process. The difficulties of documenting and mockups can be enhanced by using a methodical approach.

They can now create new prototypes with by acting out conversations with wireframes to attain user attention. AR can assist the designers in thinking beyond the screens. They can create designs that can be easily integrated to help daily life flow easily.

Social Experiences

AR can help businesses in stretching the technological capabilities to develop a convincing immersive world. Graphical dimensions, physics, and on-demand rendering can conduct easily accessible social experiences. AR web platforms, mapping, and detection of real-life objects can give birth to exciting ways of interacting with the environment and even people. Animations and sound effects can create an immersive, educating and interesting user experience.

Wearables can be developed where users can shop virtually by selecting what suits them best. The architecture of the information can be enhanced by building multi-object and multi-scene apps. Users can access them without downloading. AR-based browsers can help a lot in user testing where applications can be run on any platform without any extra work.

Interacting with Smart Objects

Smart object recognition is the latest innovation proving immensely powerful. They can assist in everything right from tracking inventory to enhancing the user experience. Smart objects interact with the digital world and can anticipate user patterns by storing and analyzing their data. Big data and AI help in identifying and informing the interactions and simplifies user decisions. Users can also control these devices enabling them to keep their privacy intact.

AR development kits also increase accessibility and user engagement. They are capable of tracking the user’s position and understanding its relativity to the real world. They can also understand the sizes and locations of different objects along with estimating lighting conditions.

Winding Up

User experience is a two-way sword. It strengthens a brand as well as delivers a complementing experience to the customers. AR can enhance the interaction level by merging virtual and real objects. Adding sound and visual effects can simulate a user’s environment. AR adoption by businesses in the future is only going to increase. The gap between early adopters and new ones is going to be bridged due to the increasing need for delivering enhanced user experiences. AR can help in increasing conversions by offering an informative, convenient and immersive environment.