6 Tips for Your Augmented Reality Projects

By Michael Barber of Lucid Agency

Let’s be honest. Augmented reality (AR) isn’t exactly a reality right now.

According to Jupiter Research, annual revenue from AR isn’t likely to exceed $2 million in 2010, but that’s about to change big time. That same research from Jupiter pegged total revenue from AR at $732 million by 2014. So, you are asking yourself, what’s going to drive this growth? The answer is probably sitting a few feet away from your screen. It’s that smartphone sitting on your desk.
The reality is that within the next 4 years smartphone growth will outpace traditional mobile phone growth 20-fold. The more smartphones consumers have access to, the more AR apps and projects companies can provide for consumers. This growth means your clients are going to start asking about AR. So, here are 6 tips (with examples) to make your first or next augmented reality project a raving success.

Easy to Use

There’s not much else to say here. If your AR project is hard for consumers to understand, then it will fail. In other words, if you have to publish directions to use it, don’t even make it. The simple concept of augmented reality confuses most people, if you add complexity, consumers won’t utilize it.

Take the Yelp application. They were the first iPhone app to integrate AR and recently released the AR capabilities on their Android app. The phone user simply holds their camera down a street or directly in front of them and any business reviewed within view of the camera is displayed with its rating and additional info. It’s uber simple and the possibilities are endless.

Solve a Problem

One of the best ways an AR project can succeed is by solving a problem. Take Lego for example. As I kid, I loved Lego’s to the point that my parents bought a 10-gallon garbage bin for me to store spare parts. However, the one thing I always wondered when my gleaning eyes browsed the Lego boxes was what it will look from every angle when it was built. Well, Lego figured out that problem with their recent in-store AR kiosk.

The kiosk allows customers to walk up with a Lego box and see exactly what it will look like three-dimensionally. Problem solved.

Make the Ladies Love It

Want to drive a ton of revenue for your client through AR? Make the app lady friendly: 80% of consumer purchases are driven by women. If you can provide a good AR integration to help women understand how your product or service would fit on them, in their lives or help their friends or families, you stand a huge chance of driving big dollars via AR.

Take Zugara’s online shopping app. No longer do women have to wonder if clothes they are browsing online will fit or look good on them. They can now try on clothes, select different styles, show their friends and put products right into their shopping cart without using their keyboard or mouse. (Word on the street is several major retailers are integrating this technology into their sites. I can’t wait to hear about the revenue results.)

It Should Be “Real”ity

Simply put, the word “reality” is included in augmented reality for a reason. The experience should be real. If your AR experience isn’t grounded in some form of actual reality in user’s lives, it simply won’t reach critical mass.

Utility Is Key

If you pay attention to only one of these tips, please make it this one.

Utility is key in every AR integration. If your AR app or integration doesn’t provide something useful for consumers, don’t build it. Utility should be top of mind along every step of the planning process for any AR project. If you give consumers the ability to see how your product or service fits into or affects their lives through AR, then you stand a better likelihood of converting them to customers.

It’s Not a Tactic or a Campaign

Please stop referring to AR as a tactic or campaign. If you start a conversation with a client with, “Let’s talk about your next augmented reality campaign.” Please fire yourself.

Companie’s augmented reality projects shouldn’t be a simple tactic or campaign. The technology presents tremendous opportunities for companies to create rich brand experiences or utilities for consumers that can help drive sales, even if it has a limited lifespan. However, it can’t simply stand alone as a tactic or be thought of as its own campaign. It must be launched with additional marketing initiatives to drive awareness and ensure success.