UX in The Age of Augmented reality
Remember the sci-fi movie Johnny Mnemonic, made more than two decades ago? Specifically, that quirky scene depicting Keanu Reeves wrapped in a VR suite, using hand gestures to navigate the “future internet”?
A decade after that, Minority Report envisioned a scenario where augmented “stuff” would enrich the reality we actually live in. I cannot remember a movie that puts more focus on the “augmented user experience”.
In countless scenes, we are compelled to imagine a future where this additional layer of reality becomes a natural part of the mundane.
Today, the vision for augmented reality (AR) is actually much more exciting than everything those movies could have ever predicted. With the emergence of devices like Hololens, what can we expect from AR in the years to come?
First of all — yes, it will most surely be a user experience based on physical gestures and natural language recognition.
Second — it might fundamentally change the way we work, communicate, play, entertain, learn, use our senses and our imagination.
Third — most probably it will disrupt established industries and generate an entirely new demand for things we may not even grasp today.
Let’s expand the points a bit.
1. What does the new medium mean for UX designers?
This new realm of opportunities for creating a different kind of UX is exciting, I must admit. I can imagine a 3D (r)evolution for forthcoming AR designers and the emergence of new lightweight tools that allow fast modelling and animating. We will see a new breed of designers showcasing their work and ideas in the form of 3D prototypes that allow interactive gestures.
Another interesting direction — designing the UX flows of voice-activated commands and interactions. The gradual evolution of this branch during the last years of mobile development set out a very promising outline for how it could evolve in the AR age.
Early examples of the scenarios described above are already out there:
2. Will AR change the way we do.. everything?
Most likely. Just like the automobile changed mobility forever. And like the PC opened the era to an immersive digital experience.
Let’s take the most common scenario we have in our current interconnected world — long-distance communication. After viewing Alex Kipman’s TED Talk (particularly from minute 11:00) I had to review my whole perspective about the power of AR and it’ ability to connect us.
Augmented presence will most probably become the standard of any high-quality “teleconference” experience. Just imagine how the collaborative nature will evolve, once the lack of physical presence to an event will not be an impediment. How might future AR workshops look like? What about live concerts? One thing is certain: augmented our meetings will be.
AR will dramatically influence the abundance of customs we have established in our society. Shopping, watching video media, gaming, designing stuff.. you name it. And maybe not just for activities that are inherently “digital” in their nature. Imagine someone working a crane while the future building is projected in front of him/her. Or working on the city infrastructure with a clear sight of the (otherwise) hidden pipelines. The best doctors working remotely on giving the best diagnosis and — someday perhaps — performing remote surgeries. Or one could just hop on the Mars Rover and explore the red planet in an augmented experience — while sitting comfortably in a couch.
3. What products will disappear?
Do you have a television? Do you buy stuff at the supermarket?
For a majority of people, both answers will surely be “yes”.
Try to think a bit into the future, let’s say a decade from now.
Why would you want a big hardware device rigidly placed in a particular position in your room, when you can project whatever-it-is-that-you-want where-ever-you-want-it? Imagine watching your favourite movie projected on a clear night sky. Or having 20 “augmented screens” to get you sh*t done, screens which you can flip, stretch and re-shuffle with simple gestures, all projected on an empty wall in front of you.
Will the monitor and TV industry giants collapse, just like Kodak did with the proliferation of the digital camera? I don’t know. But they will certainly have to adapt.
Looking back to the Minority Report scene, I realised that the huge concave glass display surface wouldn’t even be required with actual AR as we understand it today. Your canvas is augmented, entirely. Your “screen” becomes what you want it to be.
I also mentioned buying stuff.
Imagine walking through a supermarket with products that have no labels. Just blanc cans, jars, tubes and wrappers. Maybe some sort of QR code on each, but otherwise no more print design what-so-ever. It might look kind of grim, some might argue. But put on your AR goggles (or future AR contact lenses perhaps?) and a new world unleashes. Dynamic labels and prices based on customer loyalty and/or marketing campaigns and co-marketing driven by products that have augmented relationships. Imagine looking at a specific brand of butter.. and this butter is pointing out with 3D arrows / 3D hearts in the direction of a specific jam in the store. While chasing the discount, new methods of gamification await the user in his shopping experience.
The dark side of AR
Some visions already show us a grey future with humans “trapped” in the augmented worlds they have created.
Others predict an “interface-overkill” scenario like the one depicted in this great short, HYPER-REALITY.
And some of you may remember this gem from a few years back, showing another scenario where AR just gets in the way of everything.
The truth is, there are no guarantees these visions won’t become reality.
Right now, augmented reality is still in its infancy. Most of the things I mentioned will take time to develop and a lot of innovation from different fields of study. But make no mistake, this isn’t just a passing fashion or a temporary trend. AR is a new milestone with deep repercussions in our social fabric, as the following decades will prove.
So how do you imagine AR developing in the years to come?
