When designing for augmented reality (AR), it is important to follow some useful design principles. Design principles are a set of ideas or beliefs that are valid in all projects of this particular type. AR is no exception. Design principles are usually created through years of trial and error in a field. The older the field of study, the more likely it is that a strong set of design principles will emerge around that field for what works well and what doesn’t.
The developers are still defining design principles that will help guide the field of augmented reality forward. The domain is still very young, so these best practices are not static. This makes AR an exciting area to work in! It’s akin to the early internet days, where no one was quite sure what would work well and what would fall on their face. Experimentation is encouraged, and you may find yourself designing a way to navigate augmented reality that could become the standard that millions of people will use every day!
Eventually a robust set of standards for augmented reality will emerge. Meanwhile, a number of patterns are beginning to emerge around augmented reality experiences that can guide your design process.
Start your AR app
For many users, augmented reality experiences are still new territory. When using a standard computer application, video game, or mobile application, many users can get minimal instructions due to their knowledge of similar applications. However, this is not the case for augmented reality experiences. You can’t simply drop users into your AR app without context – this could be their first AR experience they’ve ever used. Make sure to instruct users with clear and straightforward indications of how to use the app on initial startup. Consider backtracking from unlocking functionality deeper within your application so the user shows some efficiency in the simpler parts of your application.
Many augmented reality experiences assess a user’s surroundings in order to map digital holograms into the real world. The camera on the AR device needs to see the environment and use this input to determine where the AR holograms will appear. This orientation process can take a while, especially on mobile devices, and can often be made easier by encouraging the user to explore their surroundings with their device.
In order to avoid users wondering if the app is frozen while this mapping is happening, be sure to show an indication that an operation has occurred, possibly inviting the user to explore their surroundings or search for a surface for an AR experience mode. Consider displaying a message on the screen for the user to instruct them to look around their environment.
“Most augmented reality applications map the real world via a computational process called simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). This process refers to creating and updating a map of an unknown environment, and tracking a user’s location within that environment.”
If your application requires the user to move in the real world, consider introducing movement gradually. Users should be given time to adapt to the augmented reality world you’ve created before they start navigating. If movement is required, it may be a good idea to guide the user through it the first time via arrows or text callouts that instruct them to move to specific areas or explore holograms.
Similar to virtual reality applications, it is important that augmented reality applications run smoothly in order to maintain the immersion of augmented holograms present in the real world environment. Your app must maintain a constant frame rate of 60 frames per second (fps). This means that you need to make sure to optimize your app as much as possible. Graphics, animations, text, and 3D models affect the potential frame rate of your app. For example, you should aim for high-quality 3D models that you can create while keeping the number of polygons for those models as low as possible.
“3D models are made of polygons. In general, the more polygons in a model, the smoother and more realistic the models will be. Fewer polygons means a ‘blocking’ model may look less realistic. Finding a balance between realistic models while keeping the number of polygons low It is an art form that many game designers have mastered. The lower the number of polygons for a model, the more likely that model will perform.”
AR Application Design: Environmentally Friendly
Augmented reality is about merging the real and digital world. Unfortunately, this could mean giving up control of the background environment in which your apps will be displayed. This is a completely different experience than it was in virtual reality, where you are in complete control of every aspect of the environment. The lack of control over an augmented reality environment can be a difficult issue to address, so it is imperative that you be mindful of issues that may arise in any unexpected environments your app may be used in.
Lighting plays an important role in the augmented reality experience. Since the user’s environment essentially shifts to the world in which the AR models will live, it is important that they interact accordingly. For most AR experiences, a moderately lit environment will usually perform better. A room that is too bright like direct sunlight can make tracking difficult and cause the screen to wash out in some AR devices. A room that is too dark can also make AR tracking difficult while potentially eliminating some of the contrast of headphone-based AR displays.
Many current augmented reality headsets (for example, the Meta 2 and HoloLens) use projections for display, so they won’t completely obscure physical objects; Instead, digital holograms appear semi-transparent over it.
Augmented reality is about digital holograms present in the environment with the user. As such, most AR usage depends on the user’s ability to navigate their physical space. However, your applications can be used in real places where the user may not have the ability to navigate. Consider how you use your app, and be sure to consider potential navigation issues for your users. Consider keeping all key interactions of your app within reach of users, and plan how to handle situations that require interaction with a 3D image out of the user’s reach.
In the real world, objects provide us with depth cues to determine where the object is in 3D space relative to us. AR objects are little more than graphics whether they are displayed in front of the real world or displayed on top of a real-world video feed. As such, you need to create your own depth cues for these graphics to help users see where these holograms are in space. Consider how holograms can be visually made to appear in real-world 3D space with occlusion, lighting, and shadows.
“Occlusion in computer graphics usually refers to objects that appear partially or completely behind other graphics that are closest to the user in a three-dimensional space. The occlusion can help the user locate elements in a three-dimensional space in relation to each other.”