Let’s understand what Augmented Reality is, explore the transformation of healthcare over time, and uncover the pivotal role AR plays in improving patient care. Also, let’s discuss the pros and cons of integrating AR into healthcare to give you a well-rounded understanding of its impact.

What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented Reality, or AR, is a technology that overlays digital information, such as images, videos, or 3D models, onto the real world. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), which immerses you entirely into a computer-generated environment, AR enhances your perception of the real world by adding digital elements to it. This is typically achieved through the use of devices like smartphones, tablets, or specialized AR headsets.

How Healthcare Has Improved Over the Years?

The healthcare landscape has evolved significantly over the years. In the past, healthcare was often a reactive process, primarily focused on treating illnesses after they occurred. Medical interventions were typically invasive, and patients had limited access to information about their conditions.

However, the advent of technology and medical advancements has led to a paradigm shift.

• Preventive Care: With the help of augmented reality, healthcare providers can now emphasize preventive care. AR can be used to create interactive educational materials that teach patients about healthy lifestyles and early warning signs of various medical conditions. This empowers patients to take proactive steps to maintain their health.
• Telemedicine: Telemedicine, which has gained immense popularity, allows patients to consult with healthcare professionals remotely. AR can enhance telemedicine by providing doctors with real-time data and visual aids during virtual consultations, ensuring accurate diagnoses and treatment plans.
• Personalized Medicine: The era of one-size-fits-all treatment is fading away. Augmented reality aids in tailoring treatment plans to individual patients. By overlaying patient data and diagnostic information onto the physical examination, doctors can make more precise decisions, leading to better outcomes.

Role of Augmented Reality in Healthcare

Augmented Reality is making waves in the healthcare sector, contributing to a more patient-centered and efficient approach to care. Let’s explore the key ways in which AR is transforming the patient experience.

• Medical Training and Education: AR offers a lifelike platform for medical professionals to train and educate themselves. Surgeons, for instance, can practice complex procedures on virtual models, improving their skills and reducing the risk associated with live surgeries.
• Enhanced Visualization: One of the most significant advantages of AR in healthcare is its ability to provide visual aids. Surgeons can use AR to overlay medical imaging data, like MRI or CT scans, onto a patient’s body during surgery. This real-time visualization assists in precise navigation, reducing the likelihood of errors.
• Remote Assistance: AR enables specialists to provide real-time guidance to on-site healthcare workers in remote or underserved areas. This ensures that patients in these regions receive expert care without the need for extensive travel.
• Rehabilitation: AR-based apps and games are being used to make physical therapy and rehabilitation exercises more engaging for patients. These interactive experiences motivate patients to adhere to their treatment plans, leading to faster recovery.

Pros and Cons of AR in Healthcare

As with any technological innovation, Augmented Reality in healthcare brings both advantages and challenges. Let’s explore some of the key pros and cons.

Pros:

• Enhanced Patient Engagement: AR apps and experiences make healthcare more engaging for patients, increasing their involvement in their own care.
• Improved Diagnostics: Augmented reality aids in more accurate and timely diagnoses by providing healthcare professionals with better visualization tools.
• Efficient Training: Medical professionals can train more effectively, leading to a higher level of expertise and better patient outcomes.
• Accessible Care: AR facilitates telemedicine and remote consultations, making healthcare more accessible, especially in remote areas.

Cons:

• Cost: Implementing AR technology can be expensive, and not all healthcare facilities may have the resources.
• Data Security: The use of AR in healthcare raises concerns about the security and privacy of patient data.
• Learning Curve: Healthcare professionals and patients may need time to adapt to AR technology, potentially slowing down its adoption.
• Technical Issues: AR can experience technical glitches like any technology, which could disrupt patient care.

To Wrap Up

Augmented Reality is ushering in a new era of patient-centered healthcare, where prevention, personalization, and precision are paramount. This transformative technology empowers patients and healthcare professionals, enhancing engagement, improving diagnostics, and expanding access to care.

However, it is essential to acknowledge the challenges that come with the integration of AR into healthcare, such as cost and data security concerns. As AR continues to evolve, its role in healthcare will become even more significant, ultimately leading to better patient experiences and improved health outcomes.

The post How is Augmented Reality Improving Patient Experience in the Healthcare Industry? appeared first on SiteProNews.

Infographic courtesy Lumus Vision

The post Spatial Computing: The Future of Work & Play appeared first on SiteProNews.

What is Augmented Reality?

Augmented reality, often called AR, is a technology that seamlessly merges digital content into the real world. Imagine using your smartphone camera to scan your surroundings and instantly witnessing virtual objects integrated into your environment. This can range from static or animated elements to even audio enhancements. Unlike virtual reality, where users are fully immersed in a simulated world, AR effortlessly intertwines the virtual and real worlds.

How Can It Be Applied to Shopping?

Augmented reality can enhance online shopping:

• Virtual Fitting Rooms: The perennial challenge of visualizing clothing purchases online is overcome with AR. Say goodbye to generic avatars and hello to photorealistic “try-ons.” AR empowers customers to wear clothes, envisioning how they fit from all angles, offering a genuine feel of the product before purchase.

• Immersive Space Planning: AR extends its magic to interior decor. Curious how that new sofa might look in your living room? Wonder no more. AR allows you to place furniture, prints, or paint colors in your space, giving you a vivid preview.

• Interactive Product Insights: AR provides an immersive solution for high-value items where specifications matter. Users can explore intricate details and specifications as they interact with virtual products, enhancing their understanding and boosting confidence in purchasing.

• Navigating Real Spaces: AR isn’t limited to the online world. It enriches physical shopping, too. Thanks to AR-powered directions and location-based special offers, imagine finding stores and products in a mall effortlessly.

How Can It Help Your Bottom Line?

Research shows that 61% of consumers prefer retailers that offer augmented reality experiences, and 32% currently use augmented reality while shopping. Those numbers are only likely to increase in time. Clients using one augmented reality provider have reported sales increases of up to 200%.

So, if you are a retailer with an online presence, a brick-and-mortar presence, or both, you might think about how augmented reality could help you sell your products. Integrating AR in businesses empowers customers to make informed choices, virtually interact with products, and engage in shopping experiences. Don’t miss out on this retail revolution. Your brand can lead the way by embracing augmented reality and offering customers a dynamic and personalized shopping journey.

The post Augmented Reality in Retail for Virtual Try-Ons and Enhanced Shopping appeared first on SiteProNews.

The significance of AR extends beyond individual experiences; it has also revolutionized industries by enhancing productivity, efficiency, and safety. From assisting professionals with complex tasks through AR-powered guidance to enabling engineers to visualize designs in real-world settings, AR has streamlined processes and transformed workflows.

Moreover, AR has revolutionized how businesses engage with their audiences. Brands now use AR to create interactive marketing campaigns, enabling customers to experience products virtually before purchasing. This level of interactivity has fostered deeper connections between businesses and consumers, opening up new avenues for brand engagement.

In this captivating blog, we’ll embark on an immersive journey, exploring the incredible applications of AR in various sectors. Brace yourself for an eye-opening adventure as this transformative technology reshapes industries and enriches our lives like never before.

Sectors Utilizing AR

1. Retail and eCommerce: Shop Like Never Before

Hold on tight as we step into the world of retail magic! AR has transformed how we shop, making it a joyous, seamless experience. Picture yourself virtually trying on clothes before you buy them or seeing how that perfect couch looks in your living room before hitting that “order” button.

AR-powered mobile apps have given us the power to envision products in our lives like never before. From personalized recommendations to interactive in-store adventures, AR has turned shopping into a delightful treasure hunt.

2. Travel and Tourism: Exploring New Horizons

AR has revolutionized how we explore new destinations and connect with cultural wonders. Tourists can now immerse themselves in AR city guides, uncovering hidden gems and historical landmarks with a wrist flick.

Your travel experiences become vibrant tales to cherish as AR unveils the magic of new places, transcending language barriers and redefining how we create lasting memories.

3. Entertainment and Media: Redefining Immersive Experiences

Enter the mesmerizing world of entertainment and media, where AR is pushing the boundaries of creativity and storytelling. AR has breathed life into beloved characters, bringing them into the real world through interactive experiences and games.

Imagine attending a live concert where holographic performers dazzle the audience, blurring the line between fiction and reality. From AR-enhanced movies to captivating interactive books, AR has become the ultimate tool for artists and creators to craft unforgettable experiences that leave us spellbound.

4. Architecture and Real Estate: Building Dreams from Thin Air

Step into the realm of architecture and real estate, where AR is turning blueprints into immersive reality. Picture architects walk through virtual buildings before construction begins, refining designs and visualizing the final product.

AR has become a game-changer for potential homebuyers as they can take virtual tours of properties from the comfort of their homes. Visualizing room layouts, exploring various design options, and experiencing a property’s potential firsthand have become effortless, empowering individuals to make informed decisions and turn their dream homes into reality.

5. Marketing and Advertising: Engaging Audiences Like Never Before

Step into the marketing and advertising world, where AR is capturing audiences’ attention in groundbreaking ways. Brands are using AR to create interactive and immersive ad campaigns that leave a lasting impact. From AR-powered product demos to virtual try-ons, customers can now experience products before making a purchase decision.

Engaging and shareable AR experiences are turning consumers into brand advocates, driving sales and loyalty. AR’s ability to captivate and connect with audiences on a whole new level has forever changed the marketing landscape.

AR in Products and Services: Industry Leaders

The adoption of AR technology has rapidly gained momentum across various industries, with numerous renowned companies leveraging its potential to enhance their products and services. These forward-thinking enterprises have recognized the transformative power of AR, and they’re harnessing it to create innovative and engaging experiences for their customers.

Let’s explore some of the trailblazing companies that have embraced AR to revolutionize their offerings:

1. Apple

A trailblazer in technology, Apple has integrated AR into its ecosystem by introducing ARKit. This framework enables developers to create captivating AR experiences for iOS devices.

Apple’s AR initiatives include AR gaming apps, interactive shopping experiences, interior design, and home improvement tools. The AR-powered Measure app, for instance, allows users to measure real-world objects using their iPhones, showcasing the practical applications of AR in everyday life.

2. Google

As one of the pioneers in AR, Google has made significant strides in this technology with its ARCore platform. This framework empowers Android developers to build cutting-edge AR applications for various devices.

Google’s AR prowess is exemplified by applications like Google Lens, which provides real-time information about objects in the physical world, and Google Maps’ Live View feature, which overlays directions directly onto the real environment.

3. Microsoft

With its innovative HoloLens, Microsoft has pushed the boundaries of AR in the realm of mixed reality. The HoloLens headset lets users interact with holographic digital content overlaid in the real world.

Microsoft’s commitment to enterprise solutions is evident in the adoption of HoloLens by businesses for training, design visualization, and remote collaboration. The integration of AR in Microsoft Dynamics 365 has further transformed how businesses interact with data and insights.

4. IKEA

The furniture giant IKEA has integrated AR into its shopping experience with the IKEA Place app. This app allows users to virtually place furniture in their homes using smartphones, providing a realistic preview of how the products will look and fit.

By embracing AR, IKEA has enhanced customer engagement and eliminated the guesswork from furniture shopping.

5. Niantic

Niantic, the company behind the viral Pokémon GO game, has revolutionized the gaming industry with AR. Pokémon GO became a cultural phenomenon by blending virtual Pokémon creatures into the real world, encouraging players to explore their surroundings. Niantic’s AR-based games continue to captivate millions of players worldwide, demonstrating the immense potential of AR in the gaming landscape.

These are just a few examples of renowned companies embracing AR to innovate and elevate their products and services. From enhancing customer engagement to streamlining complex processes, AR has become an indispensable tool for these companies, providing a glimpse into the endless possibilities that this transformative technology holds for the future.

As AR continues to evolve, we can expect more pioneering companies to harness its potential, shaping how we interact with the world and each other.

Embracing the Augmented Future

As our thrilling journey comes to an end, we’re left awe-inspired by the endless possibilities AR offers across various industries. From healthcare miracles and enriched education to retail revolutions and manufacturing marvels, AR has ignited a flame of creativity and innovation.

As this transformative technology continues to evolve, we are invited to embrace the augmented future, where the boundaries of imagination are forever pushed. So, step into the realm of AR and witness the world come alive in ways you’ve never imagined. Welcome to the augmented era!

The post Exploring the Applications of AR in Various Industries appeared first on SiteProNews.

Metaverse marketing is still in its infancy, meaning that metaverse enterprises have a unique opportunity to experiment with content concepts. It’s become the most effective method for drawing people’s attention to this virtual environment. 

According to Statista forecasts, the global metaverse market will increase to 82 billion US dollars in 2023 before skyrocketing to 936.6 billion US dollars by 2030. So, what does this mean for businesses? And what does this mean for content marketing in particular? 

Introduction to the Metaverse and Content Marketing

The metaverse emphasizes making information more immersive and interactive, which will require firms to reconsider their content marketing tactics and online content distribution. The metaverse provides content such as games, virtual events, digital items, and virtual stores that marketers may use to promote their goods and services. 

To reach new audiences and create relationships, brands can use digital activations, branded NFTs, and user-generated content in their metaverse content marketing campaigns. On the other hand, brands can only launch effective initiatives if they innovate, create a community, foster collaborations, and monitor engagement to maximize it.

Nike, Samsung, and Coca-Cola already use the metaverse to communicate with customers. Examining these successful campaigns allows you to gain valuable insights into your brand’s Metaverse strategy. And with the integration of the metaverse, digital marketing is predicted to advance to the next level. 

However, it’s an evolving concept, with innovators attempting to create what will become the norm of the internet’s metaverse age in the future years. And no one knows what the metaverse will look like. But that should be the most exciting part for content marketers!

Four Tips to Leverage When Creating a Metaverse Content Marketing Strategy

Metaverse marketing allows you to construct a one-of-a-kind universe that embodies your business and allows you to set up an online store to offer digital products. Businesses can also create immersive virtual reality experiences.

You can accomplish this through text, images, and videos in ways that no other media can—and it’s growing increasingly popular among marketers, especially as VR headsets become more widely available in homes worldwide. Here are some strategies you can utilize:

1. Target-Specific Audience and Preferences 

As the number of users in the metaverse grows, businesses will need to establish their presence among appropriate subgroups and communities. 

To generate engaging content, brands must understand their audiences’ objectives and interests. Because the metaverse serves as an alternate reality for internet users, the content must represent their character and individuality. 

Don’t forget to harness the power of storytelling in the Metaverse to captivate your audience, leaving them spellbound by the rich tapestry of characters, plot twists, and emotional resonance.

After all, customized content helps businesses explain their metaverse products and gain more growth-driven prospects. Joining the metaverse’s native creator community to create user-generated content is also a terrific way to show appreciation and promote loyalty.

2. Craft Immersive Content for the Metaverse

Brands must demonstrate their innovative streak within the digital landscape of the metaverse. They can offer lavish conferences or NFT auctions where people can pay in bitcoins. 

The metaverse is a blank canvas for all concepts. The platform’s technology enables brands to create and launch ideas, and brands should not be afraid to experiment to stand out. Engage your target audience in immersive digital landscapes like Somnium Space, Decentraland, and Cryptovoxels, and amplify the reach of your Metaverse creations.

Companies must examine the skills and abilities they will need for the metaverse, determine which skills they already have and which ones they will need to gain, and engage someone to manage the creation and implementation of a cohesive strategy to capture value, just like they would with any new project. Additionally, marketers should aim to collaborate with individuals on these platforms, such as independent developers and creator communities.

You can also capitalize on the Metaverse’s potential for monetization through immersive brand experiences, limited edition virtual collectibles, or virtual real estate investments.

3. Utilize VR/AR Technologies in Marketing

Many major technology companies are exploring new metaverse options such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and other technologies. Consider using AR tactics to push your brand to the top of search results. Google AR and VR, for example, can project 3D digital items directly in front of the audience.  

The metaverse’s superior augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) technology makes it a perfect platform for immersive experiences. Concerts, interactive live events, conferences, and other similar experiences and events could be included.

4. Measure the Effectiveness of Metaverse Marketing

Brands must guarantee that their metaverse content marketing efforts accomplish predetermined goals and objectives by evaluating audience engagement using KPIs. There are various KPIs and metrics to track in traditional marketing to see how well your business is doing. 

What should be tracked in metaverse marketing is still unclear, but one thing is certain: engagement. Key performance metrics such as actions taken, time spent, and return rate help marketers measure engagement to optimize user activations and plan future campaigns.

Challenges to Consider When Building a Metaverse Marketing Strategy

It’s a good idea to be aware of the difficulties you can encounter before you begin marketing in the Metaverse to be prepared to deal with them.

While none can be completely removed, knowing them helps you safely plan your marketing. Let’s go through some pointers you must keep in mind:

• Choosing the right Metaverse platform: There are some misconceptions about the Metaverse, such as the idea that it is all in one location. Instead, it’s an ecosystem of interactive virtual worlds in direct competition for players, events, and play-to-win games. It is siloed into various worlds, such as Decentraland, Sandbox, and Roblox, which all cater to different demographics.

• Finding new ways of engagement: Marketing in the metaverse includes being creative and presenting users and their avatars with something exciting and novel they haven’t seen before. No matter your industry, you’ll need to raise your marketing game, as this is uncharted territory for most marketers.

• Concerns with security and data privacy: Statista reports that tracking and exploiting personal data in Metaverse is a major issue among internet users. 55% rated data privacy as a big issue, so any violation of data privacy might undermine your potential audience’s faith in the platform.

As the Metaverse evolves, your brand has a better opportunity of engaging with its audience.

But, to thrive in the ever-changing Metaverse, content marketers must adapt to cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality (AR) overlays and spatial computing, unlocking new opportunities for engaging and interactive experiences.

Even beyond marketing, the metaverse has a bright future. To succeed in your marketing tactics, think of Metaverse as the future of creating value throughout your organization.

The post How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy for the Metaverse appeared first on SiteProNews.

Business owners and department managers today should highly consider AR/VR and immersive mixed reality for training new employees, and to keep existing employees’ skillsets sharp with periodic retraining of newer production tools and resources.

Simply put, the future of almost all learning is going to have some type of virtual component. The Covid-19 pandemic made this clear as both professionals and students reshuffled their work and studies online and even remotely.

There are other benefits as well. Today’s immersive mixed reality technologies are beyond lifelike, so it allows for effective and exact training of many complex skills. VR headsets create an audio-visual experience and can be paired with physical sensors and tools to create an entire body training environment. And while this offers a certain “wow factor”, it also means it can be beneficial for potentially risky training.

For example, the U.S. continues to lead the world in the design and deployment of virtualized modeling and simulation (M&S) technologies for several industries, such as military and defense. These technological innovations have been used to support strategic operations and training of all facets of the military.

It is estimated that unclassified open-source contracts for virtual and augmented simulation training for the U.S. Army alone totaled $2.7 billion in 2019, increased to an estimated $3 billion in 2020, and is expected to rise to more than $19 billion by 2027¹.

And it’s not just a hope and a dream, there are already significant ROI accomplishments for the technology. For example, Lockheed Martin Corp. has been developing how-to manuals that include animations for assembling spacecraft components. This has reduced the time required to interpret assembly instructions by 95%, along with an 85% reduction in overall training time and a more than 40-percent boost in productivity².

The Need for Virtualization

Sure, on the surface these are significantly large investments. However, these expenditures pale in comparison to the traditional training costs as virtualized technologies do not require costs for travel, expensive munitions, fuel, or any other overhead costs typically associated with a standard training program. Furthermore, there are also reduced risks for soldiers and air-personnel in training as they virtually use weapons, operate a variety of vehicles, or practice team, squad, and full unit tactics in a complete range of simulated environments with adaptable scenarios and landscapes.

Virtualized technologies are still not created equal, though. This is important because today, many existing untethered immersive extended reality (XR) systems lack visual realism, precise blending of virtual and real world, scalability and flexibility required for truly immersive multi-user environments. This is primarily due to limited compute capability, battery capacity and very restrictive thermal envelopes of existing standalone XR devices such as HMD, Tablets, Smartphones, and these challenges will persist in the foreseeable future.

Where Virtualization Makes a Difference

These limitations also extend to immersive modeling and simulations environments for training of employees requiring increasingly joint, coalition, distributed, complex, intense, and specific environments to develop necessary training readiness. Optimum XR systems need to support ultra-realistic, high-fidelity visuals; precise fusion of the virtual on real world in a multi-user, multi-platform environment and flexibility of environment rehearsal in variety of employment situations. However, existing immersive operational training environments are very siloed, too slow, too expensive, and not adaptable enough to prepare for modern day manufacturing or design skillsets.

Among the many reasons why this technology is successful, the cloud native XR platform overcomes the limitations of existing untethered immersive systems. It provides an open, interoperable, scalable unified and shared XR infrastructure for ultra-realistic simulations in any industrial setting. It combines the best of gaming technologies/concepts with traditional simulator capabilities by leveraging cloud computing and 3D Artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver a ubiquitous, reconfigurable, on-demand and immersive training system for multi-user environments.

The platform utilizes server-class Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) on cloud/on-premise/edge to achieve high-fidelity rendering of complex 3D content, and real-time alignment and tracking of virtual models/scenes over real-world objects, and support multi-user multi-platform environments.

Other technical breakthroughs include:

• Ultra-low Latency High Fidelity Rendering: Provides unparallel realism of training by leveraging ultra-low latency remote rendering on cloud/on premise in full fidelity and wirelessly streaming the solution to affordable commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) devices – HMD, Tablet and Desktop.
• High Precision 3D Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Spatial Mapping: Uses high-fidelity remote spatial mapping with high fidelity 3D scene reconstruction, scene segmentation and 3D object recognition using 3D vision and deep learning-based AI with precise fusion of the real and virtual worlds to create advance visualization and sophisticated picture of battlespace environments.
• Cloud-based agile development, deployment, and operations (DevSecOps): Uses Kubernetes for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI-CD) and auto-scaling in a modern private/public/edge/hybrid cloud ensuring resource optimization and sharing.

The average U.S. company spends over $1,000 on training per employee each year – costs that can significantly add up over time. Immersive mixed reality can help cut costs and reduce overall overhead expenses to preserve the bottom line over time, despite the obvious initial investment.

Business owners and managers in virtually every industry with a manufacturing operation today are realizing the importance of gaining a competitive advantage by implementing these cutting-edge technologies and practices. The innovative nature alone will help boost employee recruitment and retention.

The post How Manufacturers Can Leverage Virtualization In Training Programs appeared first on SiteProNews.

Check out this article to learn everything you need to know about mobile shopping app development and the top mobile commerce trends in 2022.

Mobile Commerce Trends in 2022

The constant growth of the eCommerce market contributes to the active development of new aspects in mobile commerce. So, whether you plan to build an eCommerce application or already have one, you should be aware of the recent trends in eCommerce mobile app development so you can benefit from them.

Chatbots

Chatbots enable businesses to automate communications with customers on a 24/7 basis. This mobile commerce technology allows businesses to not only answer the most popular user requests, but also to anticipate their next questions, thanks to AI and Machine Learning advancements. Thus, every client receives personalized customer support and an excellent shopping experience.

AR

Augmented reality in eCommerce allows users to test a product before buying it. What does it look like in practice? Customers see how products will look on them or in their homes to ensure they meet expectations. Thanks to this trend, you can provide an excellent shopping experience to your clients, even during the COVID-19 quarantine.

Wish List

You can significantly increase sales on your site and improve your customer experience with a wish list. Once you implement a wish list into your eCommerce app design, the number of users who return to your store will grow, thus raising the number of future store purchases. Moreover, this feature can incorporate notifications that can inform the client of the desired item’s availability.

Geofencing

More and more stores use geofencing for promoting their products on the web. With this mobile commerce trend, you can promote items based on a user’s location which allows you to focus on a specific target audience. Apply geofencing to increase your eCommerce app sales by up to 20% as other companies have already done.

Omnichannel Shopping Experience

If you want to develop your mobile business commerce, you have to sell in more than one place. Focus on an omnichannel shopping approach to boost mobile commerce sales by growing a website, an app, and social media presence simultaneously.

Voice Assistants

A voice-friendly website or eCommerce app is an essential retail business element in 2022. People use assistants such as Alexa and Siri when buying goods for their home such as clothes, cosmetics, books, and much more. So, if you want to increase store sales, voice searching technology can do that for you.

One-click Purchasing

Experience has shown that customers often abandon the purchase process when faced with performing too many steps to complete a transaction. With a one-click purchasing feature, however, there is no need to retype data over and over because your payment details are saved.

Shopping Personalization

Shopping personalization can raise customer satisfaction by 20%, allowing businesses to grow their incomes quickly and effortlessly. Many companies invest heavily into personalized marketing to draw user attention with personalized emails based on their previous purchases. Besides, this trend is associated with the use of Predictive Analytics which can forecast the product a customer will buy next.

Big Data

Want to predict buyer preferences or to calculate a suitable product price based on hundreds of your competitors’ price tags? Big data algorithms help businesses anticipate the latest mobile eCommerce trends and user preferences, so that you can pack your store with products that are in high demand.

eCommerce App Development Process

The eCommerce app development flow is comprised of several stages:

1. Defining requirements to figure out the features, interface, and design elements of the future app.
2. Market analysis to evaluate the strength and weaknesses of your project, along with the opportunities you may deliver to users.
3. Gathering a team of highly competent specialists who can successfully implement all your ideas and requirements. This includes hiring a project manager, UX/UI designers, quality assurance, backend, frontend, and mobile developers, DevOps specialists, etc.
4. Developing an MVP (minimal viable product), namely the main features that will be tested by the users to collect feedback.
5. Further app development, based on the gathered feedback.

Ecommerce Mobile App Development Cost in 2021

eCommerce app development costs may range a great deal, depending on many factors, including the complexity and functionality of the app. The more features your eCommerce app contains, the more time your team will require for their implementation. To calculate the total time on building a mobile commerce application and estimate your project’s budget, you can divide the whole development process into the following work types:

• design
• front-end development
• back-end development
• non-tech development and meetings

In addition, consider the location of your outsourced team and the complexity of the features you want to add. On average an MVP of a shopping app can cost between $50,000 – $80,000.

Conclusion

Use the mobile commerce trends mentioned in this article to develop your business by driving tremendous traffic and increasing sales. Hire a team of professional developers to save money on eCommerce mobile app development features so you can launch a user-friendly and functional application for your store.

FAQs

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an Ecommerce App?

Creating an eCommerce app can cost from $25,000 to $150,000 or more, for both iOS and Android, depending on the project’s complexity and functionality.

How Do You Make an Ecommerce App?

To build a successful eCommerce app, you need to come up with an excellent app idea first. Make a thorough analysis of the market to define the problems of your target audience. Then, list down the essential features of the application, plan out its design, and proceed with its further development.

What Makes a Good Ecommerce App?

With a good eCommerce app, you can deliver a remarkable customer experience for your users and your prospective clients. Equip your application with the best eCommerce features so that it can make your business flourish.

The post eCommerce Mobile App Development: Tips to Build an App That Sells Well in 2022 appeared first on SiteProNews.

1. Body Enhancement 

While traditional prosthetics seek to imitate the ‘normal’ functions and appearances of the human body, modern solutions can make a person much more capable than intended by nature. Existing exoskeleton concepts already offer the capability to lift substantial weights and jump to extreme heights. Similarly, some modern artificial hearts already improve the limited design of their natural prototypes such as the need to beat. These improvements have the potential to radically extend human longevity due to optimised bodily operations. However, these changes will inevitably raise the problems described by past sci-fi writers. For example, the improved well-being and productivity of augmented persons can make them more attractive to employers. Hence, other people will want to voluntarily undergo surgeries to become more capable rather than repair some health deficiencies. 

2. Impairments Elimination

Augmentation may also extend into the field of sensory experiences. For example, the intraocular lenses developed presently may allow users to see more details, zoom in on some distant objects, take photos with their eyes, and automatically upload them to cloud storage. Similar improvements can be made to other human senses including hearing, touch, and taste. Effectively, augmented bodies can allow people to enjoy their lives to a greater degree by making them closer to professionally trained athletes, musicians, sommeliers, and other persons with unique innate capabilities fuelled by further training. Alternatively, you can use selective filters to not smell some unpleasant odours or not hear the barking of your neighbour’s dog at night. 

3. Brain and Body Implants

It is no secret that our cognitive abilities and emotional states are largely regulated by the chemistry of our bodies. Students using nootropic drugs to be extremely productive during  exam week are effectively stimulating some zones in their brain to get a better memory, higher concentration levels, greater receptiveness to new information, and faster recall capabilities. While the long-term effects of chemical solutions are questioned by modern scientists, this problem could be addressed by various implants. In addition to stimulatory functions, they can also continuously analyse your blood composition and pressure and other parameters to instantly warn you about clotting, heart attacks, transitory ischemic attacks, and other acute conditions. 

4. Augmented Reality

The addition of augmented intraocular lenses will inevitably facilitate the further development of augmented reality technologies. Why take out your smartphone to look for directions when you can use a diegetic interface and see direction arrows and auxiliary information projected over real-life objects in your sensory input. Similarly, you can watch videos, play VR games, and learn new skills ‘in your head’ when scientists manage to directly transfer the video traffic to your brain. 

5. Gene Therapy

This field may be highly controversial due to high costs of treatment reaching $300,000-$500,000 per case and the lack of 100% success guarantees. However, it already offers the capability to treat the root of many problems such as tumours, some forms of blindness, and other complex diseases. As opposed to traditional long-term treatment procedures, these methods are faster and radically reduce the possibilities of relapse. Additionally, they open the way for more advanced interventions such as antenatal adjustments allowing future parents to reduce or fully eliminate the chances of serious health problems or genetic disorders prior to conceiving their child. 

6. Security Implants

Even now, there are thousands of enthusiasts who have already implanted small RFID chips under the skin of their bodies. According to them, there exist numerous current and future benefits of making this radical move. First, modern near-field communication (NFC) devices can work similarly to your contactless payment card or smartphone allowing you to pay for any purchases by simply touching the contact terminal. Second, these chips provide for increased security since the identification medium providing access to restricted areas or information is stored within your body and cannot be extracted for copying or theft without a surgical operation. Finally, these devices will allow you to always have your credentials with you, which may be highly convenient if you forget your passport or driving license at home. 

7. Nanotechnology

Cyberpunk writers described future medicine as swarms of nanobots injected in your bloodstream. They can work as artificial lymphocytes, leukocytes, and T-cells killing infections and cancerous cells or simply increase your oxygen levels during hard physical training sessions. While these designs remain a thing of the future, we already have digital tattoos and pills with ingestion tracking. 

They allow users to monitor muscle activity, sweat contents, and other indicators predicting dehydration or increased glucose levels. This way, patients with diabetes or high stroke risks can instantly monitor their conditions. Some designs already include microneedles capable of performing automated subdermal injections without the need for user involvement. 

It should be noted that the concept of human augmentation as ‘human enhancement’ is inevitably connected with multiple ethical dilemmas. On the one hand, the capability to become a better version of oneself can increase society stratifications. If poorer persons cannot afford artificial self-improvements, this will radically decrease their employment options and quality of life. On the other hand, the elimination of genetic disorders and the extension of human lifespan will inevitably affect sense of identity and various social agreements. 

Specifically, humanity may choose to reduce its growth rates in order to avoid over-population while younger specialists will not be able to compete with their peers having 30+ years of experience and having an equally good health condition. Due to these reasons, we may still be relatively far from the Human 2.0 phase even though we already possess many of the technologies described in popular science fiction novels.

The post Human Augmentation: How Far Are We from Human 2.0? appeared first on SiteProNews.

Loaded with interactive digital elements, augmented reality is paving its way in the real-world environment of education. According to recent research, Augmented Reality (AR) can be seen influencing the traditional learning process.

Not only does it introduce innovative ways of teaching and learning but also has the potential to change study schedules and location.

Let’s take a look at how augmented reality can make the classroom environment more informative and engaging.

Impact of Augmented Reality on Education

Have you wondered why students get bored or inattentive in class during lessons? The answer to this question is that they’re often bored with the conventional ways of learning. Harvard GSE, in its recently published report, stated that the use of standardized teaching modes is the main reason behind students’ inattentiveness in the class.

If a teacher doesn’t know how to engage students or make a class interactive, learning cannot take place. It doesn’t mean that teachers necessarily have to make every student a scientist, but the goal should be to make the lesson engaging and interesting. This is where the role of augmented reality comes into play.

A child can easily be distracted by digital devices, like tablets or smartphones. Eighty percent of children have smartphones. They use these gadgets for a plethora of purposes that include social media, connecting with friends, and playing games. However, there are fewer young people who use digital gadgets for studying, finding information, or doing homework.

Modern educators believe that combining augmented reality and smartphones for education can be a big shift in the teaching and learning domain. The impact of augmenting reality is inevitable and can bring potential learning benefits. AR, in numerous ways, can provide advanced digital information. It can make learning complex subjects easy.

Many educators have started incorporating AR in their lessons. It shows that the ability of AR to connect digital content and reality is not only improving but also bringing innovative options for teaching, which improves the learning process.

Caspar Thykier –Co-founder and CEO of Zappar, has incorporated augmented reality in computing for students at the primary level. With the help of workshops, they familiarize students with the structure of AR and multimedia skills.

Moreover, TAFE NSW- a vocational college in Australia equips their students with the required skills to champion spatial computing using AR tools and applications.

These institutions have successfully incorporated AR in their teaching and learning format, which is enough to see the impact of AR in education. According to them, AR can serve as an excellent facilitator that promotes learning through actions that aid teachers and engage students.

How can Teachers use Augmented Reality in Education?

As mentioned earlier, many educational institutes have already started using AR in their classroom. However, there are still many who are skeptical when it comes to incorporating AR-based teaching methods into lessons.

Neglecting the modern teaching methodologies or new approaches may create problems for children, particularly alpha children who are more familiar with acquiring knowledge through gadgets.

Let’s go through some of the creative ways educators can use AR in the classroom:

1. Digital Puzzle Box

The activity is similar to BreakoutEDU. The only difference is that it configures challenges on the computer. Teachers can get students engaged with these activities via a tablet, Chromebook, and a smartphone.

It has tools that enforce gameplay and set timers. This AR -based challenge is an innovative way to teach students collaboration skills and improve their social and emotional learning skills.

2. Augmented Reality Field Trips

Teachers can add AR experience by placing physical locations with the help of GPS coordinates. Many teachers have used augmented reality in their field trips and enhanced the learning experience of students.

All a teacher needs to do is to pick a field trip location on the map and place experiences at interesting points.

During the field trip, students will use their phones or devices to interact with pointed experiences. Many European teachers have tried augmented field trips and found them an effective learning experience.

3. Virtual Expedition

Want your students to experience Mars, Antarctica, and Machu Picchu in virtual reality? Google Expedition is, without a doubt, an excellent way to do that. However, the content is limited there, but you can make or design your own content by using a VR headset, like Google Cardboard.

You can embed 360- degree videos and photos in virtual reality. Moreover, Google has created AR experiences that enable students to explore augmented mode of the human body, oceans, space, and volcanoes. These models appear in class like the one Pokemon Go shows in the players’ living room.

4. Student Creation

Students can create an augmented reality experience in their classroom to show their learning. The activity is not only fun but also creative and gives a chance for students to share their creation outside the classroom.

Platforms, like the Metaverse AR platform, do not need QR codes to run; many educators have been able to implement these activities in class. They are suitable for all grades and subjects.

How Augmented Reality- based Learning Benefits Students?

AR in Classrooms

Creating lessons that can engage students in the classroom has become a challenge for teachers in this dynamic age. Uniquely presenting information can help students remain attentive. Whether it is a bio of a person, historical data, or scientific study, a visual 3D explanation will give students a better idea of the topic you’re teaching.

Students may take assistance in their assignments or use videotapes or audio to find useful information.

Better Understanding of Abstract Concepts

One of the biggest advantages of using AR technology in education is its ability to create virtual realities of abstract concepts that are hard to imagine and comprehend. The ability is great for visual learners who find theoretical information hard to digest.

A Portuguese institute called Polytechnic integrated augmented reality into mathematics lessons, and students found it very helpful.

Interaction and Engagement

It is not necessary to design an entire lesson based on augmented reality. By incorporating a small part, such as a 3D dimensional model or a teaser, that supports the main lesson, teachers can enhance the learning experience. It may help students learn the topic and see it from a new perspective.

For example, a Canadian company CASE incorporated AR by transforming a gym wall into an interesting ball game. An augmented reality layer was added to the wall where kids threw balls to hit floating images. It was a great physical exercise.

Object Modeling

AR can be great when it comes to learning manual exercises, manual training, and solving quizzes. AR apps can do wonders in medical studies as they can help students explore human anatomy in an entirely new way.

As AR learning is based on 3D models, it has more room for creativity. From rotation, style to color, you can do a lot with animation and special gadgets.

Bottom Line

Despite all the benefits and uses of augmented reality in the modern world, it is still in its infancy in the education domain. Thus, AR can facilitate teaching and learning methodologies and open new ways of learning.

The post Augmented Reality in Education appeared first on SiteProNews.

Since then, technology has become an integral part of our lives. It’s just a matter of time until other technologies will appear and will make our lives even easier.

There are a few emerging technologies, some of which focus on interconnecting the objects surrounding us, others focusing on teaching machines how to detect certain patterns and supercomputers which can be accessed from anywhere around the world.

Last, but not least, there are the visual and experiential technologies, where you can dive into the reality of your game or movie and be a part of it.

Here are 9 technologies which will shape our future.

1. Artificial Intelligence

This technology adds a dash of humanity to computers. They can record certain patterns, store them, and then use these memories. For example, if you are a pupil and instead of doing homework you’d prefer going outside with your friends, you could go to your artificial intelligence-based computer and tell it “Write my essay for me” and, in a few minutes, it would be able to deliver your essay.

Of course, at first, you’d have to teach it how to write. How could you do that? Well, you’d have to provide some sample essays. Then, the artificial intelligence behind the computer could replicate or create such essays.

But remember, by some sample essays, we mean hundreds, thousands, or maybe more. That’s because the computer needs so-called critical mass in order to identify writing style, grammar rules, verbs, and so on.

2. Internet of Things

This is the technology which connects regular objects to each other. We mentioned this technology in the introductory paragraph.

Well, this technology won’t be able to do your homework for you, but it will be able to make your appliances communicate with each other.

When you think about IoT, imagine this, you wake up and lay in bed for 10 minutes, just to relax. In the meantime, you are reading news on your smartphone. This will let the espresso machine know that you are awake and it will start preparing your cappuccino. You might even receive a push notification from the espresso machine asking you how much sugar you’d like. In terms of IoT, this example is just the tip of the iceberg.

3. Augmented Reality

If you’ve played various games on your smartphone, it’s virtually impossible to not know what Augmented Reality is. If you still don’t know what we are talking about, here’s a hint: Pokemon Go.

Yes, that’s game where you had to run across the city to find the pokemon you wanted. Then, once you were in the area indicated on the map, you could search it with your smartphone’s camera. Augmented Reality is meant to improve your reality with elements from the game or video you are watching.

4. Virtual Reality

Similar to Augmented Reality, Virtual reality is meant to help you dive into the reality of a certain game, video or presentation.

For example, real estate investors looking to promote their future condominiums could create a virtual presentation of their project. Basically, with the right equipment, you could walk through your future apartment and see its size, its plan, and the way your favorite furniture will look when placed inside.

By using this technology, industries such as real estate, gaming, design, and many more could improve their relationship with their clients.

5. Blockchain Technology

The concept of Blockchain technology has been around for a couple of decades now, but practical and viable implementations of this technology only appeared a decade ago, with the launch of Bitcoin, the first-ever cryptocurrency.

The blockchain is a very large decentralized computer. Everyone looking to earn some money could incorporate his computer’s resources in a blockchain. Whenever your computer finishes a certain task, you receive a small amount of money.

Unlike the traditional banking system, the transactions, and the users are verified by such decentralized computers. This decentralized system offers its users more privacy and independence.

6. Self-Driving Cars

During the past few years, you have likely heard about autonomous cars. At least, you’ve heard the news about drivers falling asleep while their car was doing its business. 

If you haven’t heard about autonomous, self-driving cars up until now, you’ve heard about Tesla.

Self-driving cars are here to stay. It’s a combination of the classic car, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things. All these technologies packed into a very smart, electrical vehicle.

If you are looking to take a nap while commuting, you should definitely buy yourself a brand new self-driving car. 

7. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a technology which lets you use other people’s resources to do your job. For example, similar to blockchain technology, you could deliver certain projects by using Amazon AWS or other similar platforms.

The first word, ‘cloud’ highlights the fact that it can be accessed from anywhere around the world. You can see a certain cloud whether you are here or 2 miles away, right? I don’t think we need to explain what computing means, do we?

8. Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity refers to a certain technology which helps us repel possible cyborg or alien attacks. Ha, got you!

The truth is, cybersecurity is a technology which protects your valuable data from getting into the hands of bad people. For example, the HTTPS protocol is meant to hide your information from the eyes of people with bad intentions. Instead of surfing the web and leaving trace information all over the place, you just send long alphanumeric strings of data.

9. Facial Recognition

Have you ever watched a James Bond movie? If not, what are you waiting for? If yes, have you seen the way MI5 together with James Bond spot the criminals while they walk the streets?

If the answer to the first question was no, I will explain it to you. Basically, they were using facial recognition technology. It can detect a certain person by identifying certain facial patterns and peculiarities. For example, the latest smartphones use this technology to help you unlock them faster.

Since the ‘30s computers and technology have come a long way. Considering the latest improvements to existing technologies and the appearance of lots and lots of new ones, the next few decades will be very fruitful.

The post 9 Future Technologies appeared first on SiteProNews.

AR has the capacity to revolutionize various industries, just as on-demand Android and iOS mobile application development changed how consumers interact with brands. Those who take advantage of this innovation now will boost customer service, improve operations, and better understand exactly how to use AR most effectively.

What is Augmented Reality?

AR apps merge the real world with a virtual one by superimposing various elements onto a device’s screen. To return to the Pokemon Go! example, that particular game allows users to capture Pokemon in their surrounding areas via smartphones. Obviously, the Pokemon are not real, but they appear to be part of the real world when viewed through a phone’s screen.

This development can easily be applied in many other ways. The following examples illustrate why AR isn’t just for gaming.

Improving Manufacturing

Manufacturing certain products often involves referring to instructions during assembly procedures. This reduces efficiency and can result in costly errors or defects.

Augmented reality will change this. With AR, screens can provide manufacturing plant workers with clear instructions that don’t require them to look away from the task at hand. Based on the increased presence of AR devices at major manufacturing technology trade shows, it’s clear professionals in this industry are already considering how to apply this innovation.

Offering Superior Healthcare

AR has already demonstrated its worth in the healthcare field. For example, researchers at Imperial College London at St Mary’s Hospital used AR to superimpose CT scan images onto patient limbs during surgery. This made it easier for surgeons to essentially “see through” limbs during key procedures.

It’s easy to understand how AR could be useful in similar ways. For instance, perhaps a patient is having trouble understanding how to use a new medical device. AR instructions could safely and accurately teach them how to use it without requiring the presence of a physician.

Boosting Driver Safety

Drivers can encounter a lot of information behind the wheel, including their current speed, GPS directions, phone alerts, and more. Looking away from the road to take in this information is dangerous. 

It might also be unnecessary. AR is capable of projecting all this information transparently on a windshield instead of a dashboard. Thus, drivers will be less distracted on the road.

Improving Military Operations

Satellites and drones often supply ground troops with very valuable information during military operations. AR allows troops to view and use this information more efficiently than ever by displaying it on AR-based glasses.

This will also improve visibility in armored vehicles. The security these vehicles offer typically requires sacrificing visibility. With AR screens, however, the troops inside can see their surrounding environment as if they were out in the open.

These are merely a few examples illustrating AR’s potential. Clearly, this technology isn’t restricted to improving gaming experiences. As developers experiment with it, AR’s role in a wide range of industries will continue to grow.

The post The Path of Augmented Reality appeared first on SiteProNews.

For developers, the design is the real challenge as not every application can be a massive success like Pokemon Go, unfortunately. The augmented reality market is a great place to develop, but, it means nothing if you cannot design an attractive app for augmented reality users expecting an engaging experience. In this article, we are going to examine what it takes to create a great user experience for AR applications and how great design keeps users engaged.     

What Makes Augmented Reality Unique

The unique position that AR posits is that it has a true leg up on VR in the mobile market. Chances are, if you’ve been on your smartphone’s app store recently, you have seen an advertisement for an AR game revolving around incorporating your physical space into the game.

This is the really impressive aspect of the technology: your environment is part of the application that you are using. It is what really separates the technology from any other reality augmenting device.

In the more recent months, augmented reality has begun to take off in a larger way than ever before. Businesses are now beginning to see the unending potential with the technology and its potential upsides that grant access, unlike anything before it.

Augmented Reality is More Engaging

Augmented reality also has an impressive library of video games for mobile that helps engage users and force them to interact with their worlds. Pokemon Go is the greatest example of this technology work as it uses AR to great effect as it brings its creatures to life in real time.

Pokemon Go has led to massive communities and a craze that is still ongoing with no signs of stopping any time soon. It is a true testament to the power of the technology and what it can accomplish when designed well. Mobile crazes like Pokemon Go are just the beginning. 

Thoughtful and educational apps like Google Arts and Culture and The New York Times AR are beginning to crop up, too. In apps like Google’s, we can experience art the way we’re supposed to — in three dimensions. As users of the app, we’re attracted to the physicality of augmented reality. Augmented reality can bring the digital to life.

It is clear that creating an engaging user experience is no easy feat. However, it is far from impossible thanks to intuitive development practices and the innate nature of sensory experience that most of us share around the world. One thing can be said, however, that AR is a superb technology that hasn’t even begun to be tapped to its fullest potential.

Customers are Attracted to Brands that Dare to Adopt Augmented Reality

AR allows for companies to actually come into your abode and take up physical space through the digital lens of a smartphone or headset. There have been great examples of this, namely the AR Ikea app that shows what the furniture will most likely look like in your home before you buy a thing.

Google has also used it famously with the Goggles application that allows users to take photos of things they see and have Google tell them what it is or even translate a name if it’s in another language. These applications only start to scratch the surface of a much larger interactive market that is pushing the technology.

Conclusion

Augmented reality expands what our phones can do. Mobile design has been changed forever.

Mobile developers should, at the very least, consider developing for AR as it has to be one of the hottest technologies on the market today. AR and VR are taking the consumer tech market by storm and developers everywhere are trying to make the next great killer app for AR.

Do not fall behind the trend. Start developing for augmented reality now and find out what can be achieved through the power of this sensory technology. Reality augmentation is the way of the future for consumers everywhere. Make sure that your product is an essential one for AR users around the globe.

The post How AR Is Affecting Mobile Design and User Experiences appeared first on SiteProNews.

And then — smartphones came and turned the whole thing upside down. AR started slowly but surely to establish itself on the market. Little by little big companies started to try out various solutions.

The big change came in 2016 when Nintendo released Pokemon Go. This is the point when Augmented Reality finally fully established itself as a viable technology with feasible business models. Soon after AR started to spread rapidly across all industries. 

The report presented by The App Solutions projected that the AR/VR market is going to expand to $150 billion by 2020. And, if there is one industry that has embraced Augmented Reality technology more than the others — then it is probably eCommerce. 

As an industry with the fiercest competition — eCommerce companies are open-minded and readily embrace emerging technologies in order to get the higher ground in the never-ending fight for a place under the sun.

Why AR matters for eCommerce?

Online shopping is all about convenience and comfort. Part of the reason why eCommerce has managed to grow so fast was because of these two factors. But, in order to remain competitive — the standards of convenience and comfort are getting higher and higher and so are customer demands.

If ten years ago it was all right to merely show a product card with all the technical information laid out comprehensively — now you need to show the product in action and offer as much customization as possible. Enter AR.

Implementation of Augmented Reality to the shopping experience has become a game-changer for the industry. Not only has it improved and transformed customer experience, but it has also enabled the industry to do things that seemed fantastic a little over a decade ago.

Let’s look closer.

What AR brings to eCommerce?

Visualized experience

One of the major advantages of implementing Augmented Reality into eCommerce is the way it helps customers to choose products more efficiently by allowing them to visualize their appearance.

Visualization can be used both for fitting furniture and trying out clothes. It can also be used in such fields as testing the look of the makeup on your face or trying out the look of tattoos on your body parts. 

This is a major evolutionary step of the “try before you buy” model as it streamlines the testing stage and enables better understanding of how the product will look like in your room or in thecase of clothes, on your body.

Customization

Another big benefit from visualization is the customization of the product according to the environment. Aspects such as colors and sizes can be easily adjusted in order to better fit the environment.

While such features require extensive 3D modeling in order to maintain flexibility and retain accurate depiction of the product — customization is a great way of improving the product itself. How? The information about customization from different customers can be used to analyze which types of the product are more in demand and which elements need more customization.

Such things can greatly help in satisfying customer demands to a tee.

Home In-store experience

The most important innovation that has come from the implementation of Augmented Reality technology to the eCommerce operation is a fully immersive in-store experience in your house. 

For years the eCommerce industry was trying to provide an enhanced shopping experience. In this case, the emergence of AR was, for lack of a better word, timely.

Even on smartphones, AR can provide an engaging experience with more fulfilling results. For example, AR can turn a product catalog into a fully-fledged digital store with product information and demonstrations just like in the physical store.

Best AR eCommerce tools

IKEA Place

IKEA is one of the front-runners in the AR revolution. Their AR app Place try before you buy is one of the best showcases of the possibilities of the technology. On the other hand, the IKEA AR app is one of the best examples of intuitive user-friendly interface design. It is easy to use and there are more than enough features to find the product that fits your room to a tee.  

Basically, what IKEA has done is a full-on AR version of their product catalogue. But that is not all – recently there were some tests of “make your own” features that included building blocks to compose your own IKEA-styled furniture. 

Sephora

Sephora is an augmented reality toolbox designed for fitting clothes, trying out makeup and matching shades. 

As a “try before you buy” product it provides flexible customization features and is capable of adjusting products to body parts. It is also has a good tool for learning to apply various types of makeup without making a mess on your face.

Quiver

Quiver is an AR tool for kids. At its heart is a set of coloring pages that can be downloaded from the website. Upon finishing the picture, the application can bring it to life with some quirky animation. 

This app is an exquisite entertainment experience for kids. 

Conclusion

Even though the technology is still in its nascent stage – it is obvious that AR is a game-changing technology for the eCommerce industry.

Augmented Reality seems like a natural fit for eCommerce. It is a natural extension of an online shopping experience into the physical world with the potential of enhancing the quality of the products and adjust them more precisely to customer demands.

The post Ecommerce Trend: Augmented Reality (AR) in Your House appeared first on SiteProNews.

I am sure you must have heard about the famous social app, Snapchat, that has been soaring in the app store for some time. The main reason behind its hype is the experience it offers to its end users while filming snaps in different styles and shapes. One of the recent innovations offered by the app was- World Lenses which has a touch of AR technology. This was all about Snapchat!

But what about you?

As a business owner or a web developer, the tactics or technology used to skyrocket your app matters the most. “Coming up next” is the key to success. I mean there was a time when the internet was considered as the shiny new object in the room, but today it has become the undisputed foundation of the digital age. AR is the talk of the town and I suppose the basic reason for the emergence of unexpected UX challenges. It all started with a lack of boundaries when unclear expectations and experiences with such apps started rolling in. 

Let us understand the term “UX for AR”- In simple words, the two most well-known examples, Pokémon GO and Snapchat, use AR in a pretty light way. Technically speaking, AR decreases interaction costs, reduces a user’s cognitive load, combines multiple sources of information, and minimizes attention switches. Basically, it acts pretty much as the Holy Grail of UX. Maybe that’s the reason why the technology is seen mostly in the social media and gaming industry. 

Below I would like to shed some light on certain principles that can help you in getting started with UX Design for AR effectively. 

Read away & apply it to your workflow

Pre-defined environment– Born into a 3D world, it’s natural for us to ignore working in two dimensions. Still, I have come across several designers who design with pencil, paper, and screen, all media that work in two dimensions. This should not be the case! Try keeping the work environment familiar and intuitive. Augmented Reality offers its end users options that traditional experiences cannot. Using a current scenario example, we have already started tweaking the physical world through cameras. Depending on where the user is interacting, the traditional setting could have a number of obstacles such as walls, live objects, and moving parts. 

Make onboarding simple- Whether it’s 2D or 3D, onboarding has always been a challenge. So in order to succeed, you need to get acquainted with the learning curve. Yes, one has to strive hard to be better than the standards that are in place, if it means more successful onboarding. Do not limit yourself by convention over intuition and don’t even try reinventing what already works. 

Your users are smart enough and they know how to view a 3D environment through their devices; use this to your advantage. 

Keep it predictable– It may interest you to know that AR successfully blurs the line between the physical and digital world, but still, people continue to seek familiar gestures and interactions. As a result, many times facial and object detection, gestures, and movements turn out to be a great challenge. 

Leaving clues behind– Most of us tend to look around for clues and instructions in real life especially when we are navigating. The same is true with technology. For example- when you are hunting for the best restaurant in town, you look around for different signs, maps, and locations to get you to your destination. 

So leave clues for your end users. This will encourage them to interact well with the environment. In fact, you can even think of inserting graphics and dynamic animation that won’t just act as a guide but even become the experience itself. After all, instructions don’t always have to be in the form of text or signs. 

Make it worthwhile– Always ask yourself, whether it’s worth the time and money? What kind of AR experience are you offering your end users? Are you enhancing it for them? As interaction with digital interfaces becomes more widespread, integrating AR experiences into current user behaviors will find a way into experiences with which users are familiar. 

Delighting users is fine but keep them grounded– Disruptive technologies such as AR and VR can succeed in providing users a sense of thrill and enchantment- but as a business owner, you have to sustain that feeling. In the end, you need to feel a strong connection to, or see an advantage of integrating with, your app or else it will be considered a mere gimmick. 

Final Word

Overall, Augmented Reality is capable enough to provide its end users what they crave for. Exciting, entertaining, useful, meaningful are certain words used to describe such technology. So, are your business goals ready to marry user needs with AR to come up with something digitally delightful?

The post Augmented Reality UX Isn’t All about Visuals: It’s Way Beyond! appeared first on SiteProNews.

Over the next five years, Apple consumers will likely find more versatile, capable and secure apps on the iOS market. There are a number of ways that changes in iOS app development will enhance the user experience. Let’s take a look at where iOS apps are heading in the near future, and what that means for the everyday Apple user.

Bigger and Better Devices Will Equal More Versatile Apps

With new products like the iPad Pro and iPhone X storming the market, iOS developers now have the ability to create apps that would have previously been considered impossible for a mobile device. One limitation that has constantly prevented more powerful desktop apps from being developed for iOS is the small screen size of devices. But with Apple hardware production heading in the direction of large-format devices like the iPad Pro, consumers should expect to find more comprehensive apps on the App Store. Think about the professional-grade apps you’d find on your desktop computer, such as Adobe Photoshop, but accessible on your Apple smartphone or tablet.

Apple TV will also have a tremendous impact on the future of iOS apps, particularly through the Apple TV Software Development Kit (SDK) that has been released alongside this popular product. The Apple TV SDK is similar to the iOS SDK, making it easy to convert apps from one platform to the other. While products like the iPad Pro will breed apps beneficial to professionals like designers and photographers, Apple TV will likely lead to better consumer-minded apps.

GPS, Augmented Reality and IoT Apps Will Take the Lead

The versatility that features like GPS and augmented reality offer mobile apps cannot be understated. Such capabilities will certainly continue to play a role in the types of applications that will be developed. For instance, the release of Pokémon Go in 2016 showcased the untapped potential of GPS and AR-powered apps. Location tracking and various navigation functionalities have proven to greatly benefit users in a number of ways, from entertainment purposes to geotagging. In the future, iOS users can expect these two tools to remain at the forefront of app development.  

In addition to GPS and AR, apps that focus on Internet of Things (IoT) are also becoming increasingly popular. In fact, back in 2011, Cisco estimated that the world will have around 50 billion IoT-connected devices by 2020. As this market continues to expand, iOS developers are creating more apps that connect with internet-enabled devices. 

The consumer market continues to see a heavy influx of IoT devices, many of which are tailored to connect with mobile apps. As the market for IoT-powered products continues to mature, iOS developers will continue to develop valuable apps that optimize IoT devices. You can expect apps that help recognize digital signals from IoT devices, and enable secure information exchange over wifi. 

Greater Emphasis on App Security

In the last few years, the increasing focus on data protection and digital security vulnerabilities has caused developers to take a more security-minded approach to iOS app development. Over the next five years, Apple product users can even expect to find more apps that utilize data encryption techniques. Additionally, Apple continuously enhances its own built-in security features, which in turn will motivate iOS developers to look at security as a more pivotal part of their applications.

The post How iOS App Development Will Change Over the Next Five Years appeared first on SiteProNews.