Augmented Reality App Tess Burns
Background: Context and research Store visit I visited two West Elm stores, one in Savannah, Georgia and other in Providence, Rhode Island. The one similarity between the two stores that stood out, was the general the lack of product information in the stores compared to information available to the consumer on the West Elm website.
Customer Observation When I was observing customer behavior in stores, I noticed a couple looking for new bedding and a sales associate was helping them. The sales associate was using a display bed to show the couple different options to choose from. The couple was hesitant because they didn’t know if it would match the furniture they already had at home.
Background: Context and research Augmented reality (AR) technology Augmented reality (AR) technology uses a user’s environment in real time and overlays new information on top of it. Both Apple and Google have released beta versions of their own AR technology and opened it up to the developers. Full launches of these technologies are planned within the next couple of months. Apples take on Augmented reality is called ARKit. ARKit will be available with the iOS 11 operating system which is expected to come out in September with the iPhone 8. Google plans to release ARCore which is Android’s equivalent to Apple ARKit. ARCore will work on 100 million existing and upcoming Android devices.
Background: Context and research IKEA’s ARKit App Tim Cook, CEO of Apple stated in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek: “We’ve talked to IKEA, and they have 3D images of their furniture line. You’re talking about changing the whole experience of how you shop for, in this case, furniture and other objects that you can place around the home. You can take that idea and begin to think this is something that stretches from enterprise to consumer”
Objectives: What specific problems does your prototype aim to solve? 1. The lack of information about products in store. 2. High aversion to risk customers have about buying furniture they can’t see in their homes.
I want the app to tell the story of West Elm and the journey each product takes to help build customer loyalty. I believe West Elm would benefit greatly from creating a user-friendly AR application which features exclusive furniture and lifestyle products from West Elm with detailed product descriptions.
Core Functionality: Describe the core use cases and features Two core functions to an augmented reality application
1. One core function is to scan product markers to pull up detailed product
descriptions. Each product would have a tag that customers can scan using the app to pull up information. The product description will include information like prices, size, color ways and a brief description about the product. If the product is handcrafted, fair trade, organic, sustainably sourced or local, there will be a different section talking about that particular product’s journey.
2. Second core function of the app is a virtual product display.
Customers
can use the app to overlay West Elm products in real time. Customers can either take a photo of their room/space or bring it in store where a sale associates can help design around that specific space, or users can design their space in real time using the app at home. This feature will show users photo realistic models of West Elm products line. Users can create wish lists of products they like, and can share this wish list with selected friends or family online. The app will connect with each store so when a product on a user’s wish list is in store, or if the piece/s are available at a discount price, the user is notified.
Login Screen Users will have to create an account to use the app. The background image will change periodically.
User Profile The User Profile features the scan tool and render tool. Users can scan an item’s tag by clicking on the scan icon which pulls up information about a product. To view 3D renderings of products, users click on the View in Room icon.
The Profile also features the designs the user creates using the AR technology to virtually place items in a real life space that can be saved in a digital gallery for later use. Users can connect with each other in the app and share designs. The profile also includes a user’s wish list.
Scan Tool When a user wants to get information on a certain product they click on the scan tool. Once users click on the tool the scan icon on the tag must be placed within the box in order to be read. The icon acts as a marker to tell the app to pull up product information.
place tag within the box
Product Information Once the scan icon is read by the AR technology it will pull up the product information associated with the marker. Each product has product information like sizes, color, price along with reviews. The Design to Impact symbols, will be prominently featured to tell the story behind the products and West Elm as a whole. For example this table is handcrafted so the hand symbol is on the top left side. If users click on the hand it opens another section about who made that table. If users want to learn even more about handcrafted items they can click the button which takes them to a short write up about West Elm’s mission to empower people all around the world.
Render Tool Each product will have a render icon on the top right of the photo if it can be viewed digitally. If users click on the icon the first screen pops up. It informs the users to find a location to place the digital item on top off. The user must place the red square in the location and wait until the cross is in the center. Once the rendering is align in place the 3D rendering of the product will appear on screen. This can be saved to the gallery, shared with friends or added to the wish list.
Goals: How would you measure success? Engagement Metric I would look at session time or time spent in the app. The length of time spent using an app shows how engaging the content is and the ease of use. If people are only spending one minute on the app something needs to be improved. I would also look at frequency of use, when people are in store do they use the app? Another important engagement metric is permission granted to the app, does the user grant permission to the app to access personal information like location and use of camera. This shows the trust the user has with the app or in this case West Elm as a company.
Revenue metric I would look at purchases in the past year. Did the new function of the app correlate with purchase increase? Another revenue metric, is the number of items placed on the wish list. This is a strong indicator of user’s intent. This could help figure out why a product isn’t selling because of the wish list data. If multiple people have the same product on their wish list but never buy it something is wrong, maybe the colors aren’t right or the price is too high, by looking at this metric, questions like that can be solved.
Goals: How would you measure success? Intent metric I would look at the number of tags scan using the app, this proves customers understand how to use the app and are using the application. Social shares indicate if the content is engaging and important enough to share with people’s networks. What social media sites are people sharing it and why, this could help understand and find new customers. The retention rate indicates how many visitors have chosen to return and make additional purchases or use it again. Was it to look for a chair to go with the bed they bought last time or to learn about the new product line, again this helps understand customer behavior. It’s less expensive to maintain a customer then to get a new one. The final metric would be number of pages visited in the app. This indicates there is engaging content or lack thereof. Did users read about West Elm mission or check out design ideas.
Next Steps: What might be a rollout plan? 1. I would take advantage of Apple’s new Augmented Reality software and build the app using the technology for Iphones and Ipads.
2. After the app is build using Apple’s ARkit it will be tested in selected stores for a period of time.
3. Data collected from that will be used to redesign the app if necessary before releasing it to the general public
4. The app will be available on the App Store for free and will be used in stores
on selected items. The sales associates will be trained on how to use the app.All staff members will be equipped with iPads in store to help show customers possible design options.
5. It will take time to re ticket all the products with the AR markers on them. After a few months of re ticketing and adjusting to the new manufacturing process the AR markers will be fully functional.
Who Am I? - Tess Burns From: Somerset, MA College: Savannah College of Art and Design Major: Fashion Marketing & Management Minor: Business & Entrepreneurship Achievements: SCAD Collaborative Learning Center with L’Oréal My university, Savannah College of Art and Design has a Collaborative Learning Center, which partner’s students from multiple programs with employers to work on real world projects. I was involved in a collaborative learning project between SCAD and L’Oréal during which we researched and developed innovative signature service concepts supported by an exclusive product for Urban Decay’s free standing stores to evolve the consumer in-store experience. Summer Internships This past summer I had two internships. I was the Creative Director of Marketing & Sales at Tulle la la, a tech start up which sells monthly subscription boxes for brides and private label products. I created marking materials for the brand along with designs for their private label. The second internship was with a non-profit called Entrepreneurs for All. EforAll’s mission is to accelerate economic development and social impact through Entrepreneurship in Mid-Sized Cities. I design marketing materials for their events.