Augmented reality elevates user experiences to new heights by making information more accessible and interactive, simplifying learning, increasing productivity, and decreasing risk.
Acura used AR to gamify their test drive experience during a pandemic and alter perceptions about their cars – just one powerful use case of how businesses are employing AR technology.
Customer Experience
Experience is everything, and immersive technology can be an effective tool in helping companies deliver personalized and seamless customer interactions that foster engagement and build loyalty among customers. AR can offer companies an invaluable advantage to create the optimal experience that leads to higher engagement and greater loyalty from their customer base.
AR can be leveraged as eye-catching marketing stunts like Nike and Footlocker’s LeBron James AR poster campaign that appeared in stores, or more practical help like Nespresso’s AR descaling instructions that customers can unlock with their mobile phones. Establishing clear objectives is key to making any AR activation a success, along with metrics aligned to these goals that can be measured against.
Home staging helps buyers navigate the buying journey more smoothly by helping them envision products in their own environment, address any concerns or objections that they might have and test out a product without going to store itself.
Training
AR is an interactive technology that superimposes real-time digital data onto physical environments, making it ideal for training and development purposes. For example, employees operating complex machines may benefit from receiving step-by-step visual instructions to maximize productivity.
AR technology reduces risks associated with hazardous tasks by providing workers with an interactive virtual training environment to practice in safely. This facilitates inspection, maintenance and safety procedures while decreasing downtime costs.
AR’s interactive nature increases engagement and allows instructors to tailor learning specifically to workers’ individual needs, making the experience more engaging and cutting down training costs and onboarding times for new employees.
Community colleges can democratize AR programming by embedding it into existing academic tracks and casting a wide net for recruitment – including noncredit learners, full-time students and local employers and workers looking to upskill. This strategy enables college leaders to ensure the programming meets learners’ career interests while showing its practical benefits for their future careers.
Manufacturing
VR and AR can be customized to each company’s specific needs, making these immersive experiences suitable for applications like training, maintenance, logistics and data analysis.
Ikea Place app enables customers to visualize furniture placement by superimposing 3D representations onto live video streams of their rooms, while YouCam Makeup offers virtual try-ons of cosmetic products, while architects utilize VR to help clients visualize home layout before construction begins.
AR can enhance a company’s supply chain processes by giving workers access to real-time information that decreases error rates. XPO implemented AR in their warehouses to display diagrams and instructions directly in workers’ fields of vision, which significantly reduced picking errors while improving efficiency.
AR can also assist companies with preventive maintenance by using performance data on physical equipment to identify any potential issues and reduce downtime and repairs, ultimately increasing productivity and product lifespans.
Healthcare
Healthcare and medical industries require more efficient ways of conducting their work, with AR providing one solution that could give an edge in areas like surgery planning, training new medical staff members and 3D radiological imaging – among others.
Luciano, an augmented reality app designed to aid nurses and doctors when drawing blood, helps nurses and doctors draw blood more easily by showing where veins are on the body, so they can find them more quickly and accurately. Luciano estimates make their first stick 3.5x more likely to hit veins – providing both patients and nurses with significant benefits.
Australian company created an AR app for pharmaceutical packaging that allows customers to see insulin action more clearly, making the products easier for customers to understand and purchase. Library collections use this technology as well to showcase multimedia content. Nonetheless, AR must be carefully implemented in sensitive contexts in order to prevent privacy breaches and over-reliance issues.
