UX Design Principles for Augmented Reality

What is AR?

Augmented reality (or AR) is a technology that layers computer-generated images on top of the real world. AR adds a programmed layer over actual reality to create a third, dynamic level of augmented experience. With AR apps, instead of just seeing information, users interact with it and receive live feedback on the action they have performed.

Immerse users in experience

Don’t clutter UI

A good AR experience immerses users into interactions. It only happens when people believe that what they see on the screen is real. It’s vital to devote as much of the screen as possible to display the physical world and your app’s virtual objects. Avoid cluttering the screen with visible UI controls and information because they diminish the immersive experience.

Strive for convincing illusions when placing realistic objects

To help users believe that the AR world is real, make sure your app updates the scene 60 times per second, so objects don’t appear to flicker. You can measure Frame rate (expressed in frames per second or FPS) in Xcode for iOS and Android Studio for Android devices.

Use audio

Audio is a multipurpose tool. Sound effects can improve the usability of a product. For example, it’s possible to add a sound effect to confirm that a user picked up a virtual object. Background music can also help envelop people in the virtual world by creating the right mood.

Offer easy onboarding

Many users have never experienced an AR environment before. When users encounter their first AR experiences, they will need guidance on how to interact with it. Onboarding plays a key role in creating a great UX. Let users start in AR quickly by making a tutorial a part of the main experience flow.

 

Don’t limit yourself with the rectangular frames

It’s natural for UI and UX designers to start ideas in a box. When we design a new digital experience for mobile devices, we usually draw within the iPhone screen frame. While this approach is okay for the regular app, it won’t work for AR. Why? Because by doing that, you create boundaries, and those boundaries will subconsciously limit your creativity.

The great thing about AR is that it’s not limited to the device screen. The device screen becomes more like a window that we use to see the world. That’s why we should break down the boxes and instead think about an interface as being flexible.

Design comfortable interactions

User comfort is a top priority for product designers, and AR design isn’t an exception. Anticipate that people will use your app in a wide variety of real-world environments.

 

Conclusion

AR is one of the emerging technologies that have an opportunity to change the way we interact with digital products.

The most important thing that any product designer should remember about AR is that it’s just a technology. With each product, people are seeking out experiences, not technologies, and they won’t like a technology that isn’t friendly to use.