Augmented Reality Must Be Developed in-App to Enhance UX, Finds Strategy Analytics

Consumers Don’t Give Thought to Background Technologies They Just Want the Best Experience

July 9, 2018

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pokémon Go and Snapchat have been the epitome of augmented reality (AR) for the masses, though many users are unaware of the AR technology and further use cases available to them. Strategy Analytics’ User Experience Strategies (UXS) service has recently found that familiar sources, including Star Wars and Google, are driving these AR experiences. Published in their recent study, “ The Augmented Reality Experience: Waiting for the Use Cases to Become Reality , ” Strategy Analytics’ findings suggest that in order to drive awareness of AR, not only will solid use cases need to be developed to inform and entertain users, but most importantly developed from * within * existing apps to help drive awareness and usage.

Key report findings:

• Users seek better experiences, not specifically AR, so focus needs to be on the actual output and not just on the AR technology.
• Widely-recognized content branding offers a range of discoverability options while enhancing the experience across a multitude of use cases and making the AR experiences more compelling.
• Utilizing varying HMI to include auditory sensory and wearable devices will help to complement the user experience and make it more immersive.

Christopher Dodge, Associate Director **** and report author commented, “Familiarity is driving adoption and use of AR with brands such as Pokémon Go, Star Wars, Google, and Snapchat. But it’s important to note that it’s the brand that’s drawing users to the use case not the use of AR; AR is the technology that is making these use-cases more useful, usable, and compelling.

Continued Dodge , “But consumers don’t really give much thought to the background technologies the apps they use contain – they just want the best experience. Using AR to develop quicker and more efficient access to information or entertainment will enhance usability as well as eliminate worries such as battery consumption. Leveraging familiarity in the first instance will undoubtedly drive acceptance and understanding.”

Added Chris Schreiner , Director, Syndicated Research UXIP, “However, developing more use cases for AR is challenging, as will be its discovery if not managed properly – many companies are developing their AR applications separately to their flagship apps. This will only work to reduce awareness of AR and hinder its adoption and use as a whole. AR must be applied within an existing app to be found in the first instance.”