Augmented Reality (AR) Mobile App: Transform Your Experience

A Future Augmented

Augmented Reality (AR) has revolutionized various industries with its presence. It has created a completely novel and immersive experience for users. Industries like gaming, music, sports, etc. have realized the limitless possibilities that AR brings with it. Products like Pokémon Go have put augmented reality mobile applications in the limelight. Furthermore, AR has combined naturalistic elements with virtual ones to create something engaging and compelling. Its interactiveness is second to none, whilst ensuring the user is still in contact with the real world. Moreover, realizing its potential, developers have integrated it into various mobile apps. Hence, allowing augmented reality mobile applications to create a user experience unlike anything before.

What is an Augmented Reality Mobile Application?

To those unaware, an augmented reality mobile application is a software app that integrates virtual content into the real world. They alter reality by programming your appliance with digital content to create a novel experience. Although used in gaming, augmented reality mobile applications have transcended its traditional usage. Now, academic and automotive industries use it as well. Now, before moving forward, it’s important to differentiate between AR and VR. The latter, Virtual Reality, is different from AR. It involves completely transporting its users to a virtual world - isolating them from the real world. Additionally, the 360-degree experience becomes real through a VR headset. Meanwhile, AR merely adds virtual elements to your real world. 

Augmented Reality Setup

Furthermore, the most fundamental requirement of augmented reality mobile applications is competent hardware. Whether it’s a phone, smart glasses, tablets, headsets, etc., you need a gateway into the augmented world. However, finding hardware is enough on its own. It needs to possess a few qualities too. An able processor, high-quality camera, robust graphics, and a display.  Meanwhile, the hardware itself doesn’t create an immersive experience. It needs the assistance of an effective software. They are responsible for rendering 3D models, virtual objects, movements, and user positions among other things. Each software possesses an Operating System (OS), Software Development Kit (SKD), and an application.

How to Create Augmented Reality

Next, creating an augmented reality mobile application is a more complex endeavor than their traditional counterparts. It requires careful planning and effective execution to yield bountiful results. Here are a few major steps that a quality augmented reality mobile application needs.

1. Project Scope: The first and foremost step is always deciding on the essence of your project. Determining its functionalities and features is crucial to have before anything to create a blueprint. This serves as a reference for the rest of the process. Additionally, it informs each stakeholder regardless of their arrival on the project.
2. Approach & Technologies: The next step revolves around informing your developers of what you expect. Including budget, requirements, and approach towards development. Broadly speaking, there exists 4 prominent AR technologies. These are hybrid, native, web AR, and cross-platform.
3. Application Type: Next, you have to select an application type out of a possible 5. Each version brings with it its qualities and benefits. Including project-based, image recognition, location-based, superimposition, and outlining-based.
4. SDK: A Software Development Kit assists developers in making the entire development process efficient. Essentially, these tools are not only diverse but enable special integration. A few examples of popular SDK tools are Wikitude, Arcore, and Vuforia among others.
5. Initiate Development Process: Lastly, after completing these steps, the project goes into development mode. After drawing an initial map of the outline, developers move forward with coding and content integration.
6. Testing: Once the project is complete, it’s important to test it. This allows you to find any shortcomings or bugs and remove them promptly. Moreover, it may also be wise to have focus groups evaluate your product for rich insights.
7. Release: After you are truly confident in your product and completed all previous steps, launch the augmented reality mobile application to the world.

Building a Custom Augmented Reality App

The essence of augmented reality mobile applications is in their novelty. They have brought forth a completely new experience for users, mixing the real and virtual worlds. In that spirit, it is more fruitful to build custom augmented reality apps. Moreover, they not only provide users with a never-before-experienced journey but strengthen your identity too.

Understanding Augmented Reality Tags

An AR tag is a fiducial marker whose purpose is to support 3D registration. They assist in pose tracking in augmented reality. They make the appearance of virtual objects, games, and other mediums within the real world more seamless.  Furthermore, they work by calculating the orientation and position of the camera, as well as a virtual one. Thus, ensuring that the augmented reality mobile application’s experience is not jaded but rather enjoyable. Additionally, the most popular examples of these applications are Snapchat, Pokémon GO, Quiver, etc. 

AR Software for Android

There are several AR development software for Android that have made a name for themselves.

• ARCore: This platform, developed by Google, is the ideal place for many Android developers. From motion tracking to light estimation/adjustment, it serves as an all-in-one package. Thus, helping to create a potent as well as immersive environment. It’s become so integral for many developers that it’s unlikely that its popularity will wane anytime soon.
• Unity 3D: When it comes to game development, no name is more prominent than Unity’s. Its rich history coupled with its relentless innovation has made it stable in the gaming industry. It’s this thirst for innovation that has turned its AR enterprise into one of the most sought-after platforms out there. Additionally, its AR Foundation package allows developers to create apps that run on both Android and iOS. Moreover, its robust tool set makes the entire development process swift and effective.

Enhancing Experience with AR Photo Features

AR's widespread effects impact the photography world as well. Its filtering and effects utilities provide a diverse set of tools useful for both domestic and professional use. Whether you’re making a short, immersive film or just feel like capturing a cute picture, AR caters to all. Snapchat, Instagram, and Google Lens are all examples of AR photo applications among others.

Augmented Reality Triggers

AR triggers refer to action or recognition of predefined entities to kickstart your augmented reality mobile application. These triggers have evolved from their traditional “switching it on button” days into more complex systems.

• Gesture Recognition: An augmented reality mobile application may function if it recognizes certain gestures. These can range from a single wave of hand to more complex movements. Once it has detected the user’s movements, it will start the application for the user.
• QR or Barcodes: By simply scanning a QR or barcode, a user can trigger their augmented reality mobile application to work. The presence of these QR or barcodes is dependent upon the owner. 

AR App UI Design Best Practices

With the richness of the AR world apparent, developers get greedy and try to use as many features as possible. However, this leads to a more cluttered and busy space that overwhelms the users. That’s why it’s always important to remember that less is more with these technologies. Adapting a minimalist design accompanied by an accessible and comprehensible UI is the key to success. Moreover, it’s important to maintain consistency with your design. Once the user gets familiar with your app, they can enjoy a better, more efficient experience.

Types of Augmented Reality

Different types of Augmented Reality uniquely interact with the outside world. Achieving this through multiple avenues remains possible, but there are a few more popular than others. 

• Marker-Based: This type uses particular markers which include images or QR codes to trigger the virtual content. Only after deployment will it interact with the outside world to create the augmented experience.
• Markerless: These are location-based AR that uses GPS, digital compass, etc. to data. Furthermore, it helps with the orientation as well. Google Maps is the most popular example of a Markerless AR, whilst tourism apps like CityTracker are gaining ground.
• Projection-Based: These types use projected light onto real word spaces to create an augmented projection. Retail stores or art exhibitions create a unique visual spectacle that highlights its effectiveness.
• Superimposition: This version replaces a proportion of real-world space with a virtual view. Retail stores like IKEA use it for their apps like IKEA Place. Meanwhile, the healthcare sector uses it to look at medical reports like CT scans during surgeries.
• Recognition Based: It uses object recognition technology to augment the recognized objects. Apps like Google Arts & Culture provide details about artworks, whilst apps like SkyView give information about constellations and their workings.

Innovative Augmented Reality Ideas

“How to create Augmented reality?”. Well, before diving into creating something, first discover what purpose your invention serves. Though it has seen rapid growth, AR is still in its infancy and has room for improvement. That’s why now’s the time to make your mark on the industry. However, we recommend preplanning and strategy for your augmented reality mobile application. Whether you want to create an experience of galleries or a concert-going one, it’s important to find your identity. 

Conclusion

All in all, augmented reality mobile applications are here to stay. Their robustness coupled with their dynamism makes them a force. If carefully considered, AR app UI designs as well as UX, then there’s no telling where it might end up. The sky’s the limit.