DecoAR is an innovative app that addresses the challenges of traditional furniture shopping by leveraging augmented reality (AR) to create an immersive and engaging user experience.
My role
Full-Stack Designer
Duration
8 weeks
Context
The furniture industry has long been characterized by a disconnect between online browsing and in-home reality. Consumers often find themselves dissatisfied with purchases due to inaccurate product representations and the inability to visualize furniture within their own spaces.
High return rates in the furniture industry compared to other e-commerce sectors.
Consumer surveys highlighting frustration with online furniture shopping.
Source: volumetree (https://www.volumetree.com/offline-experience-vs-online-experience-while-purchasing-furniture/)
Problem Statement
The furniture shopping experience is often hindered by the inability to accurately visualize products within a home environment.
Despite the growth of e-commerce, the furniture shopping experience remains largely static. Consumers face significant challenges when purchasing furniture online, primarily due to the inability to accurately visualize how products will look and fit in their homes. Existing AR solutions often fall short in providing a seamless, accurate, and engaging user experience.
This sparked the question-
How can we optimize the AR furniture shopping experience to increase user adoption and conversion rates, ultimately bridging the gap between online and offline retail?
Solution
Leverages AR for an immersive furniture shopping experience.
By seamlessly integrating augmented reality, DecoAR aims to transform the furniture shopping experience into an intuitive and engaging process. By making AR accessible and enjoyable, we aim to increase user adoption, reduce return rates, and ultimately drive sales.
Discoverability
Prominent AR button: Easily accessible AR functionality on product pages and throughout the shopping experience.
Quick-start AR: Minimal steps to initiate the AR experience.
Immersive Experience
True-to-scale models: Accurate representation of product dimensions and proportions.
Realistic materials and textures: Lifelike appearance of furniture items.
Interactive elements: Allow users to manipulate furniture.
Inspiration
Style guides: Offer pre-curated design themes and inspirations.
Lookbooks: Showcase different room settings and furniture combinations.
Allow users to save and share their created AR scenes.
Convenience
Streamlined shopping process with features like one-click purchase and saved favorites.
Wishlist functionality: Allow users to save items for later consideration.
Secure payment options: Provide multiple payment methods for convenience.
Investigating problem space
By placing virtual furniture in real-world spaces, augmented reality (AR) can help shoppers better imagine how products would look and fit in their homes.
This research aims to explore how AR can be effectively integrated into the furniture shopping journey to enhance customer satisfaction and drive sales. This empowers customers to make informed purchase decisions by allowing them to visualize products in their environments. This AR-enabled shopping experience instills trust in customers’ minds and minimizes the uncertainties of purchases.
Trigger
Desire for new furniture or home decor
Search
Online browsing, visiting stores, seeking recommendati-ons
Product Selection
Difficulty in visualizing, comparing, and making decisions
Purchase
Checkout process, delivery,
Post-Purchase
Satisfaction, returns, and repurchase intent
Competitive analysis
Competitive analysis revealed a saturated market with homogenous offerings for AR features in furniture category.
Despite the growing interest in AR technology, the furniture e-commerce landscape is characterized by limited innovation. While many competitors offer basic AR functionalities, there's a notable gap in providing truly immersive and personalized experiences. Key challenges include restricted product catalogs, caliberation is unfamiliar and difficult , and users’ focused attention.
Ikea place
Houzz
Ikea place
AR Activation Screen
Product Placement
Shopping Cart Integration
Clear and accessible AR button, requiring simple camera permissions.
Basic functionality for placing and adjusting furniture items, with limited manipulation options.
Lack of customization options for furniture items.
Rudimentary measurement features, often inaccurate and difficult to use.
Limited product catalog compared to other furniture retailers.
Basic AR functionalities with room for improvement in terms of realism.
Seamless transition to product page, but limited customization options before purchase.
Ikea place
AR Activation Screen
Product Placement
Shopping Cart Integration
Seamless integration within the platform, accessible from various points.
Users reported inconsistencies in measurement accuracy and product placement.
Includes floor plan integration for accurate product placement.
Basic placement and adjustment features, with a focus on furniture and decor.
While functional, lacks advanced features like customization and interaction.
The platform is heavily geared towards interior designers and professionals, potentially alienating DIY consumers.
Primarily focused on home improvement and decor items.
Catering to interior designers and home professionals.
Advanced scan features
"I often order furniture online and it ends up not fitting or looking right."
Challenges faced in furniture online shopping /experience of using AR ?
“It’s taking so much [more] time than I expected. So, I don’t know what I have to do. It says move closer. I am doing that, but, okay. That was actually a little confusing.”
“That was a very unsatisfying experience. I’m not sure what it was needing me to do. It kept saying move closer, move closer, to the point where I was almost touching the wall. In which case, you can’t really see how it looks in the space if you’re that close.”
Understanding the User Perspective
Interviewed 12 participant and survey responded, revealed a significant challenge in visualizing furniture within home environments.
This process revealed a consistent struggle among consumers when it comes to visualizing furniture within their living spaces. While there is a growing interest in AR technology, participants expressed difficulty in using existing AR solutions. These challenges include issues with product accuracy, intuitive interactions, and overall user experience.
Defining persona & goals
To effectively address the diverse needs of our target market, two primary user personas were developed based on key behavioral patterns and goals.
Jenny,The Design Enthusiast, 25
Primary Goal: Create a personalized and aesthetically pleasing living space.
Challenges: Difficulty finding unique furniture pieces, struggles with visualizing different design combinations.
Behaviors: Spends significant time researching design trends and collecting inspiration.
Rohan,Time-Crunched Homeowner, 28
Primary Goal: Efficiently furnish a home while balancing busy lifestyles.
Challenges: Limited time for extensive furniture shopping, difficulty visualizing products in the home.
Behaviors: Relies on online research, often makes impulse purchases based on limited information.
Storyboarding
Setting up the persona in a perfect environment aids in determining the bare minimum features our MVP must have.
Right now, extracting a list of design criteria that we need to support in order to make these ideal situations a reality is our main objective. Our concept generation phase would then be guided by these requirements.
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Design enthusiast Jenny wants to remodel her living room.
She uses the DecoAR app to find inspiration for a home room remodel, browsing curated styles and saving her favorite looks.
Jenny uses the AR feature of an app to visualize an armchair in her living space, experimenting with various colors and fabrics before ultimately purchasing.
Jenny utilizes the app's social sharing feature to share her design ideas with her friends, gaining feedback and inspiration.
Jenny is satisfied with her furniture selections and is eagerly awaiting the delivery of her new furniture after a seamless and secure payment process.
Jenny effortlessly assembles her furniture after receiving it, thanks to the clear instructions provided by the app.
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Brainstorming and ideation
In what ways do we assist the best-case scenario for a solution?
We further reframed our design requirements into key actionable statements that are both broad enough to allow various solutions and specific enough to set emphasis in on a single use flow in this case of jenny , the design entusiast.
Information Architecture
Prioritizing User Flow and Efficiency
To ensure a seamless user experience, we focused on creating a clear and intuitive information architecture. By mapping out key user journeys and identifying core functionalities, we prioritized features that directly addressed user needs.
Crafting the DecoAR Experience
I want to efficiently find and visualize desired furniture products.
Home Screen
Jenny launches the app
Product Search
Jenny utilizes search bar
Product list
Find specific furniture items
Product page
Jenny selects a product
Onboarding 1
Jenny Reads the process
Onboarding 2
Jenny aligns device to floor
Onboarding 3
she moves the device
Placing furniture
Jenny looks at the product
AR ONBOARDING
I want to create and save unique and personalized spaces.
Home Screen
Jenny launches the app
My Room
Jenny checks the demo rooms
Saved Views
Jenny views her saved images
AR Room (first time use)
users get to see the demo video
AR Room
Jenny go to her personalized AR space
Provide a seamless and efficient purchasing experience.
Placing furniture
Jenny likes the product
Buy now
Quick purchasing action
Checkout
Jenny buys and waits for arrival
AR Features: Elevating the Shopping Experience
To provide users with ultimate control and customization, DecoAR offers advanced features such as real-time color adjustments, precise dimension measurements, and dynamic lighting simulations. Users can experiment with different color palettes, get product sizes, and simulate various lighting conditions to achieve their desired aesthetic.
The final MVP product
Home & styles
Searching products
Exploring Styles & furniture's
Product and whishlist
Checkout
Project Takeaways
Learning from the Process
Prioritizing User-Centric Design
The development of DecoAR emphasized a deep understanding of user needs and behaviors. By placing users at the core of the design process, we were able to identify key pain points and develop targeted solutions.
The Importance of Contextual Understanding
Understanding how users interact with furniture and their homes provided crucial insights into AR integration. By considering the entire user journey, from inspiration to purchase, we were able to identify opportunities to enhance the overall experience.
Iterative Design Process:
The development of DecoAR followed an iterative approach, with continuous testing and refinement. By incorporating user feedback throughout the process, we ensured that the final product aligned with user expectations and needs.
Thank you
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