IS AUGMENTED REALITY HERE TO STAY?

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IS AUGMENTED REALITY HERE TO STAY?

Agency’s Project Manager Dian Martinez Valencia shares a few thoughts on augmented reality (AR), which is believed to be one of the strongest digital trends this year. Do you agree?

In the summer of 2016 the world suffered from a total Pokémon Go hysteria. A hysteria that even reached Sweden. I was also one of those who during a (short) period of time chased animated monsters on the streets of Stockholm. The mobile game was based on the new digital technology augmented reality (AR), which makes it possible to add virtual elements to our current reality.

The game became a world success over night. But before we even knew it we got tired of chasing Pokémon. Nonetheless, the new technology proved its impact. Something that will most likely become even more evident moving forward. At least according to the analytics company Docere, that have highlighted AR in their annual trend report. Their analysis is that AR will change particularly the shopping experience. Examples of players who have been fast at embracing this new technology are IKEAand Amazon. They have developed apps that help consumers try their products in augmented reality.

As a communicator and marketer, I think it is particularly exciting with opportunities that go beyond product and service development. Many of today’s AR apps are created to bridge practical needs, such as trying out clothes, furniture, and measuring objects. However, I believe that AR will be used when communicating with each other to a greater extent than now. Up until today it has been used mostly among young people through Snapchat. But now technology is becoming more accessible to the broad mass.

As an example, Apple launched its new feature Animojis to iPhone X last autumn. And Huawei enabled AR filters directly in the camera when launching their latest smartphone software update. Facebook has also enabled new AR capabilities through an open AR platform, Facebook AR Studio, allowing developers to create their own filters. The platform has only been available for about two months, but I’m sure that our Facebook feeds soon will be flooded with AR filters and animations of different kinds.

"I believe that AR will be used when communicating with each other to a greater extent than now. Up until today it has been used mostly among young people through Snapchat. But now technology is becoming more accessible to the broad mass."

Dian Martinez Valencia, Project Manager

So, is AR just faddish or is the technology here to stay? The Pokémon Go-fever lasted no longer than a couple of weeks. I would rather say that nothing is constant at the current speed of the digital development.

Dian

WRITTEN BY

Dian Martinez Valencia, Project Manager