After +27 years of experience working hand by hand with our clients to find creative ways to use virtual technology, we’ve decided to gather some of the most frequent AR/VR questions we’ve been asked through these years. Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of the remarkable impact AR and VR can have on your business.
You know you need something but not quite sure what it is? Reach out to us and schedule a conversation - we’ll help you think through your goals.
What is the difference between AR and VR?
Augmented reality and virtual reality (commonly abbreviated as AR and VR respectively) are reality technologies that either enhance or replace a real-life environment with a simulated one. Augmented reality (AR) augments your surroundings by adding digital elements to a live view, often by using the camera on a smartphone. Virtual reality (VR) is a completely immersive experience that replaces a real-life environment with a simulated one.
What is the difference between MR and XR?
Mixed reality (MR), on the other hand, combines real and digital objects in a hybrid environment. MR merges real and virtual environments so you can interact with both real and virtual items using a headset or eyewear. Users interact with both virtual and real items. Therefore, companies have a choice in their level of virtual.
XR is an industry descriptor. In other words, this is a catch-all term for all of the different reality terms used today.
How do you determine if AR or VR is the right approach for your product or experience?
Augmented and Virtual Reality are technologies used to outshine competitors and to take businesses to the next level. Both of them bring endless opportunities to provide intensive and vivid experience for clients of multiple industries. However, determining which one is more suitable for the particular project might not be easy.
It’s all gonna depend on your target user persona and what they want to accomplish in the experience, the users motivations and also the limitations.
First of all, start with defining your goal and problems you wish to solve by developing your idea. As AR provides an ingenious freedom to interact with reality, some projects may require more immersive technology. Moreover, think about your target group and decide whether they are accessed to more advanced devices or rather tend to use smartphones.
What industries are investing the most in AR / VR technology?
We all know Augmented and Virtual Reality are being used for gaming, but XR is going to shape our future in so many more ways than gaming. From healthcare to real estate, real estate, training, retail, transportation, financial, recruitment, and education.
What are the types of devices for AR and VR?
AR devices can be:
- Adapter: Holokit
- Built in: Apple ARKit
- Standalone: Hololens
VR devices can be:
- Adapter: Google Cardboard
- Tethered: Oculus Rift
- Standalone: Oculus Quest
What are some examples of devices/platforms/stores we use for AR and VR?
Some examples for AR:
- ARkit - iOS devices - Apple Store
- ARcore - Android Devices - Play Store
- Microsoft - Hololens - Windows Store
Some examples for VR:
- Oculus - Rift/Go/Quest - Oculus Store
- HTC - Vive / VivePro - VivePort
- Microsoft - WMR - Windows Store
There also exist some cross platforms like SteamVR, WMR and WebXR.
What things should we be considering when testing AR / VR experiences?
The 4 core components we examine are comfort, presence & spatial occupancy, usability and effectiveness.
VR testing is crucial to evaluate how well the user is adapting, utilizing, and immersing in the VR product.
What tools do we use to design/develop for VR?
The design tools that we typically use for VR are Tilt Brush, Quill and Space XR, while the ones we typically use for developing are AFrame, Unit and Unreal.
Can AR/VR give me information about my customer?
Yes! Many of our clients learn new information on customer behavior. This is useful because it creates a better customer experience.
What is the difference between standalone VR and PC VR?
Standalone VR is any VR headset that works completely by itself. In contrast, PC VR is any headset that requires a constant connection to a nearby PC.
What are Virtual Web Applications? Are they Virtual Reality?
No. People often confuse anything virtual with VR because virtual reality always includes a device to immerse users in a different world.
How to define a key concept:
Since both AR and VR are relatively new technologies, we have a lot of experimenting to do.
The approach is to select the MVP (minimum viable product) that allows us to isolate the key experiences we want to test.
The key experiences should be the main component of a prototype.
Example 1: Gallery tour. The two key concepts could be:
- Moving within the space
- Interaction with the artwall
Example 2: AR app that allows you to collect AR objects. The two key concepts could be:
- Being able to scan a room
- Selecting 3 elements to find and collect
How much does it cost to develop an AR / VR Experience?
The price depends on the size of the project, the objective, the amount of resources and their seniority and the technologies, among other things. However, for validating two key concepts for AR or VR experiences the ballpark number is around $90k - $130k.
How long does it take to develop an AR / VR Experience?
It’s all gonna depend on the type of experience, but for validating two key concepts for AR or VR experiences the sprints ballpark number is around 6 - 8 (3 to 4 months).
What would be the next steps if I were interested in starting an AR/VR project?
The next step would be to have a meeting with our SMEs to:
- Identifying your core audiences, and platform use cases across your current mixed reality portfolio
- Identify your unique brand elements and how they should be expressed in different modalities.
- Evaluating elements and assets both in 2D / 3D that might need to be redeveloped, or designed to match and fit the mediums
- Understanding how your technology & interactions exist across your mediums.
- Agree on Two Key Concepts to Validate
- Review a proposal with the scope
- Kickoff the project
Further discussion
From Strategy through Development and maintenance, we’re with you. We can complement your existing team’s skill sets within any of the stages above or, for maximum consistency, we can partner with you from the strategy phase through full development, launch, and maintenance.
Do you have more questions about the technology or an Augmented or Virtual Reality application that you need help with? Get in touch so we can help!
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