The state of augmented reality applications

Reading Response Week of 11/5-11/7

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 9 – The Future of Augmented Reality)

I thought I’d look into some advertising campaigns that utilize augmented reality as a key component to their campaign. A simple Google search revealed the following links:

The Auggie Award Competition for the Best AR Marketing Campaigns 

The Auggie Category includes AR marketing campaigns for major brands that launched before May 16, 2013 on any major platform including mobile, PC and projection. Some nominated entries include the 2013 IKEA catalog, Apache Solutions Ltd.’s “Become Iron Man” experience, and Ad-Dispatch’s “Leverage the Avengers Brand.”

15 Clever Augmented Reality Campaigns

This BusinessInsider article by Christina Thompson lists 15 AR campaigns that got people talking. Some of those featured are Maybelline’s application that allows customers to see what nail polish colors would look like on their hands without testing it on their nails; Volvo S60’s application that allows users to drive the car, via their smartphone, through whatever room their currently in; and, Tic Tac’s “Shake it Up” campaign that turns ads into interactive campaigns. The article also features the National Geographic’s AR application that Craig mentions several times throughout his text. My personal favorite featured here is campaign with Heinz ketchup; if a consumer scans over the bottle, a virtual cookbook appears that provides him with recipes that use the product as a secret ingredient.

Simply Zesty

The full service digital agency also published an article featuring the best AR campaigns of 2012. The article includes Starbucks’ Valentine’s Day campaign, which turned themed cups into an animation where customers could send messages and eGifts to friends and family. Here’s a video illustrating the animation: 

Simply Zesty also features BBC’s “Frozen Planet” installation. Similar to National Geographic’s experience, BBC’s exhibit placed people in the polar region where they could interact with penguins, polar bears and whales.    

Econsultancy Digital Marketing Excellence’s Seven Awesome Augmented Reality Campaigns

In a 2012 article, David Moth records some top AR campaigns. Among those on the list are: Kia’s campaign during the Australian Open, which prompted a record search volume for their Optima vehicle; ASOS’s (one of the UK's largest online-only fashion and beauty stores) partnership with Blippar that provided customers with click-to-buy icons in the magazine; and, Greek chocolate brand Lacta’s campaign encouraging consumers to write love messages on the bar wrappers and forward them to a loved one via the AR app.   

Creative Guerrilla Marketing

This source acts as a library for articles written about AR applications. One of my favorites on this page is “McDonald’s Augmented Reality App Shows What’s Inside Your Meal.” Ryan Lum writes the piece on the “TrackMyMacca” application launched in Australia. A brief video accompanies the article, and it illustrates how the app works alongside GPS tracking technology.

These examples confirm Craig’s (2013) comments that “AR is quickly being adopted in a variety of application areas that are bringing it to the attention of the public” (p. 256). Craig believes that our biggest limitation is our “imagination for the possibilities, combined with a lack of widely available, easy-to-use development tools” (p. 265). With time and the emergence of technological advancements, this limitation will diminish and we’ll see a great deal more with AR in our future.

Sources:

Auggies: Best AR marketing campaign. Augmented world expo awe2014. Retrived from http://augmentedworldexpo.com/auggie-category/auggies-best-ar-marketing-campaign/

Austin, C. (2013, February 18). 15 clever augmented reality campaigns. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/augmented-reality-campaigns-2013-2#]

Craig, A. B. (2013). The future of augmented reality. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (255-265). New York: Elsevier.

Lum, R. (2013, January 17). McDonald’s augmented reality app shows what’s inside your meal. Creative Guerrilla Marketing. Retrieved from http://www.creativeguerrillamarketing.com/augmented-reality/mcdonalds-augmented-reality-app-shows-whats-inside-your-meal/

Moth, D. (2013, May 11). Seven awesome augmented reality campaigns. Econsultancy digital marketing excellence. Retrieved from http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/9842-seven-awesome-augmented-reality-campaigns

“Starbucks Cup Magic for Valentine’s Day.” 6 February 2012. YouTube. Accessed on 1 November 2013. Web.

The best augmented reality campaigns of 2012. Simply zesty. Retrieved from http://www.simplyzesty.com/Blog/Article/November-2012/The-Best-Augmented-Reality-Campaigns-Of-2012

Craig’s chapter 8, as illustrated in 2013

Reading Response Week of 10/29-10/31

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 8 – Augmented Reality Applications)

On page 230, Craig introduces the basic idea of a magic-mirror styled application. Craig (2013) writes of “look[ing] in the mirror and seeing yourself” altered (p. 230), I immediately thought of Google+ and its overlay features. Through the social networking site, a user’s computer camera acts as the mirror, reflecting the user to herself as well as to those in the chat. Craig (2013) describes how users can allow AR to “adorn [them] with jewelry, a new style of glasses, a new hat, etc.,” and Google+ does just that, plus (no pun intended). The following image, compliments of Google Images, showcases some of the interface’s features.

The main girl (pictured in the larger frame) is shown with cat-like features. Some of her chat buddies seen below have overlays of dogs and devil horns. These depict only a few of the many graphic options available for users in Google+. I routinely use this feature to video chat my former roommates from Virginia Tech, and we get a real hoot out of some of the features. In addition to the graphic components, there are audio clips to use too.

In reading Craig’s chapter, I became interested in the idea of this form of application as interactive. He writes how applications could allow the user “to try on new clothes, then change the color of these clothes, and choose from a variety of jewelry, etc.” (p. 231). I’d heard of this idea in recent months, and went to Google to uncover the source. 

Toyko-based Uniqlo is the fourth-largest fashion retailer in the world, and houses its very own magic mirror. As reported by CBSNews in June 2013, there are only seven Uniqlo stores in the United States, but the organization is looking to expand at a rapid pace. Known for stocking clothing and apparel in numerous colors, Uniqlo makes it easy for the customer to find what she likes; An LCD screen allows the customer to instantaneously change the color of the particular piece being worn at that time (pictured here).

Craig (2013) extends the idea of interactive AR and magic mirrors in his section of magic windows and doors. While he doesn’t mention this particular medium in the text, television is a prime spot for illustrating this concept. According to Craig (2013), a magic window or door can be one “through which you can see the real world as it is seen through that door or window, only augmented by digital information” (p. 232). Today’s fantasy and sci-fi television programs give users a glimpse of this concept. The popular ABC show, Once Upon A Time, is known for this via its use of portals to another land. I’ve included some pictures (compliments of Google Images) that depict these spaces or represent the path the characters take to travel through AR means. 

The hat might also serve as an example of a “magic lens,” as it allows the show’s characters to “see the unseen” (Craig, 2013, p. 223). While it’s not hardware, the hat does adhere to the doings of, or fit the descriptions of tasks carried out by a tablet, smartphone or other device.

Once Upon A Time, fittingly so, is a television show about magic. Thus, Craig’s (2013) following quote is applicable in more ways than one: “AR and magic are similar in many ways. Both of these ideas rely on the idea that the world that we perceive is based on information provided to our sense and they both rely on fooling the participant in some way” (p. 225). In all of the above examples, AR is being used to solve a problem, as Craig puts it. The interactions are implemented in successful ways, and they showcase things that couldn’t otherwise be done in another medium (Craig, 2013, p. 224).

Sources:

CBS News. (2013). The fast rise of Japanese retailer Uniqlo. CBS news. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57590575/

Craig, A. B. (2013). Augmented reality applications. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (221-254). New York: Elsevier.

Craig’s chapter seven & the final AR project

Reading Response Week of 10/22-10/24

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 7 – Mobile Augmented Reality)

Craig’s chapter seven gives our groups a great deal to think about for the final AR projects. Although brief, the chapter provides overarching concepts that we’ll want to consider when planning and executing the production of our projects.

Although we’ve noted this before in class, Craig (2013) reminds us of mobile AR’s top advantage: “By using mobile technology, the AR application can be experienced at the location where it makes the most sense” (p. 212). A recent example of this effect is currently in the works. The current edition of ClemsonWorld, the quarterly magazine for alumni and friends of Clemson, showcases Tigers as they celebrate and march to Death Valley during a home game parade. The image, pictured here, highlights the Tiger spirit and corresponds with a feature inside the publication, titled “Tailgating with the Tigers” (as it’s also found here).

Just last week in his Book Publishing for the 21^st Century seminar, Dr. Blakesley asked a class member to attend the upcoming game day parade (Boston College vs. Clemson). He asked that she videotape the parade in hopes of capturing what the still image showcases — essentially recreating the scene. As long as the video shows an accurate depiction, Blakesley plans to use AR and have the video act as an overlay for the publication. Readers (and donors) could then use an AR application to witness the parade for themselves when looking at the magazine’s cover. This would be an example of experiencing AR at a location where it seems most appropriate to the image.  

The concepts Craig addresses present ideas of virtual storytelling. Because mobile augmented reality requires users to bring their devices (i.e., which in most cases would be smart phones) with them, this storytelling element could take effect. Perhaps our group might consider this idea for the final project – we could tell our story through our trigger and overlay images. A fellow class member mentioned taking the user on a scavenger hunt; our group could take the user through a story — either linear or nonlinear. In either case for this project, however, we’ll need to consider the environment, as Craig points out. Not only will our locations need to be relative, local to one another, but we’ll also need to think about weather, lighting, noise, etc. (Craig, 2013, p. 215). If we decide to pursue this idea of telling a story, we’ll need to think about limitation that might arise by incorporating text as overlays (i.e., if we’ll need internet connection).  

Craig (2013) also points out that “mobile augmented reality presents the challenge that there could potentially be content anywhere” (p. 217). We’ll need to think ahead and take this into account when mapping out our AR project or story. We can consider some concepts Costello addresses in regard to user experience and usability testing to ensure our user isn’t running around the town of Clemson in hopes of finding a fiducial marker or trigger image for our project. The memo we submit alongside our project will help outline the project and send the user on the right path.

Sources:

Craig, A. B. (2013). Mobile augmented reality. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (209-220). New York: Elsevier.

Thoughts on Craig’s chapter six

Reading Response Week of 10/15-10/17

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 6 – Interaction in Augmented Reality) and Costello, Multimedia Foundations (Chapter 6  – Interface Design and Usability)

I’d like to focus this week’s post on Craig’s chapter. He makes the following statement on page 192 in regard to AR activities and capabilities: “As this type of interaction becomes more common, and as the virtual world becomes the real world, people will begin to accept those capabilities as normal, and potentially be bothered when those types of interactions aren’t available, even in the real world” (2013). I question Craig’s statement here; is he suggesting that AR expectations lead a user to have unrealistic expectations of or within the real world? If so, how is AR different than violent music, television and/or video games? Can AR be that powerful that it denotes one’s observations within the real world, discrediting what we know for what could be, causing people to confuse the fraudulent for the real or vise versa?

With this statement, Craig suggests that AR requires its user to suspend his disbelief in order to fully immerse in the virtual world and the technology acting as the filter making that world possible. As mentioned, this similar strategy is used across industries and specifically seen in film. In children’s film, audiences are presented with talking animals, flying humans and floating houses. In science fiction, laws of gravity are given little (if any) consideration, extra-terrestrial life walks the Earth and Mars Attacks! (with some added comedy). The differences between what these mediums (e.g. film, music and video games) depict and what’s seen in the real world is the viewer’s perception. Viewers discern right from wrong, fact from fiction, etc. This statement, or ideal, however, has been debated for decades by theorists and critics in communication, sociology and related.

Also within Chapter 6, Craig (2013) uses photos to illustrate a child’s interaction with technology. In Figures 6.4 and 6.5 he features a child trying to enlarge an image on a traditional book or television screen as one would with an Apple device. I too recall a similar story:

One afternoon in the post office, I witnessed a child’s fascination with the Disney stamp collection as pictured in large-scale form on the wall. The child trotted over to the wall and immediately began his attempt to enlarge the images with his fingers — after several failed attempts, his mother informed him “it doesn’t work like that.” The mother picked up the disappointed, confused child and they existed the post office.  

As Craig (2013) mentions, this is no longer an uncommon tale. Children of today’s generation expect things to operate in a particular fashion. After all, they are the iGeneration.

There was one additional section I flagged in this chapter. On page 199, Craig writes about navigation in augmented reality. His methods and suggested tips will serve as a great aid when our groups begin work on the final AR project. The bulleted list features one or two ideas that Costello also mentions in his chapter, including “breadcrumbs.” While Craig and Costello use the same term, the two authors’ use of it differs in context and medium. Costello addresses breadcrumbs as they relate to the web and page design, whereas Craig’s use is more traditional. Both, however, are relevant to the topic of navigation.

Sources:

Costello, V. (2012). Interface design and usability. Multimedia foundations: Core concepts for digital design (153-180). Boston: Elsevier.

Craig, A. B. (2013). Interaction in augmented reality. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (185-207). New York: Elsevier.

Miscellaneous thoughts on Craig & Costello

Reading Response Week of 10/8-10/10

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 5 – Content is Key! — Augmented Reality Content) and Costello, Multimedia Foundations (Chapter 5  – Multimedia Page Design)

I found some other interesting thoughts in both readings for this week. As these thoughts/ideas are somewhat unrelated and unorganized, I decided to comment on those in separate post here.

Thoughts from Craig:

·        On page 157, Craig writes the following: “Try as we may, an AR application (today) cannot allow the participant to break the real-world laws of physics. This precludes the AR content creator from doing certain things he or she might like to do, such as remove the law of gravity, teleport a (real) object from place to place, or allow the participant to really fly by” (Craig, 2012, p. 157)

This screams Hollywood’s film and TV industry. As we’ve mentioned (and viewed) in class, films take on a whole new approach to augmented reality, provided us with concepts, visions that do not exist in today’s world. It’s all about high-tech, futuristic innovation. For example, in both the 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory staring Gene Wilder and the 2005 Charlie & the Chocolate Factory staring Johnny Depp, viewers experience teleporting. Of course, TV can allow the creator to break the laws of physics.

·        On page 165, Craig discusses overlaying information. He writes: “If one is using AR to help someone find a location, the AR application could make it appear as though there are lines on the ground that you can follow to your location. In the real world, an example of this is a stripe on the floor that you follow to get to the appropriate room. Usually there is a different color stripe for each destination and you follow the appropriate color” (Craig, 2013, p. 165).

This passage reminded me of shopping, specifically during the back-to-school season or the holidays. In the real world, major stores (e.g., Target, Wal-Mart, drugstores, etc.) often include colorful lines on the floor that code to various departments. The lines take the shopper directly to the area he wishes to visit. Typically, the store will also hang a sign from the ceiling that tells the shopper something like, “Back-to-school – Go this way,” or provides additional instruction. I’ve also seen this done on Black Friday (with the addition of store layout handouts, maps, etc.). Some say this makes the shopping experience easier because it filters the store into sections — the shopper need not wander in search of a particular section; rather, he can find his way via the mapped lines.

Clemson University’s app (pictured here) does a similar thing, but truly uses AR. The “Maps” function uses AR and allows the user to see where he is on campus. The user can see in what direction he needs to walk to get to another building, and at all times can find where he is in relationship to campus landmarks. The triangle at the bottom left allows the user to enter this AR feature of the map. Otherwise, the map can be viewed as is.

 

Another example (and probably an overused one) is the famous Marauder’s Map from Harry Potter. The map tells Harry where everyone at Hogwarts is at any point in time. With a secret phase, he can follow virtual footsteps and be led anywhere, to anyone. This film, as well as the film genre, calls for viewers to suspend their disbelief, as Craig mentions in the text.

Thoughts from Costello:

I’m familiar with the concept of “breaking out of the box,” as Costello puts it. I thought I’d label some of my frequently visited websites as either displayed with the F-layout or Z-layout frame.

• ESPN is displayed in the Z-layout frame. 
• Facebook and Twitter are both displayed in the F-layout frame.
• Foodgawker is displayed in the Z-layout frame.
• HokieSports is a tricky one. I can see characteristics of both displays, depending upon where I glance across the homepage.

Sources:

Costello, V. (2012). Multimedia page design. Multimedia foundations: Core concepts for digital design (127-152). Boston: Elsevier. 

Craig, A. B. (2013). Content is key! — Augmented reality content. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (151-183). New York: Elsevier. 

“Harry Potter & the Weasley Twins Marauders Map.” 3 December 2009. YouTube. Accessed on 3 October 2013. Web. 
 “What Else Can You Teleport from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).” 2013. Dailymotion. Accessed on 3 October 2013. Web.

“WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 40^TH ANNIVERSARY – WONKA VISION.” 30 September 2011. YouTube. Accessed on 3 October 2013. Web.

Images from Google Images

 

Craig vs. Craig … & other chapter 5 concepts

Reading Response Week of 10/8-10/10

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 5 – Content is Key! — Augmented Reality Content)

In chapter five’s opening page, Craig states: “It is a mistake to think it is optimal to directly transfer content from one medium to another” (Craig, 2013, p. 151). Another Craig, Craig Mod that is, shares similar ideas and voices them in his essay, “Platforming Books.” Mod addresses his interpretation of publishing a book in today’s digital world and defines “platforming” as the ways through which a book may take digital form. The “platforms” he speaks of include iBook, eBook and Kindle.

Similar to what our AR Craig writes in his book, Mod claims “a defining quality of a good design is one in which the essence of a thing can be transmitted between mediums while staying true to the new medium” (2011). Craig (2013) reminds us that “the virtual world exists regardless of the medium that it is represented in” and that “a representation can be very general or can contain very specific details” (p. 152-153). Most importantly, he writes that, “different representations are appropriate for communicating different kinds of information for different types of purposes” (Craig, 2013, p. 153). This is exactly what Mod addresses in his essay. The comparisons made between these two works further reiterate McLuhan’s idea of the medium as the message. After all, in the opening pages of Understanding Augmented Reality, Craig notes his use of augmented reality as “a medium, as opposed to a technology” (2013, p. 1). AR, therefore, essentially can be a way to “platform” a work, an idea, a message, etc.

We see this idea of adapting content to fit its domain or format nearly everywhere. It’s a common practice in the newsroom, where print stories are different than their web counterparts. Print stories must be shorter and mold to issues of word count, space limitations, competing content, etc., whereas web stories can be longer and include more photographs. The print vs. web issue is prominent in design as well. As we’ve learned from Costello, designing for print requires different image resolution and color codes than does web. Today’s digital technologies afford us opportunities for content to be displayed on computers, tablets, smart phones and more. Mod, Craig and Costello all comment on this topic. Mod asks the following: “How do we put books and magazines into these devices,” rather than asking, “How does digital affect books and magazines?”

Mod pays attention to the idea of the linear medium — something that McLuhan also puts forth in his works. Craig informs us that augmented reality is not necessarily linear; rather, it is in many ways up to the creator (and the participant) to manage the reality. Craig reminds us that, “the virtual world coexists within the real (physical) world. Thus, it is reasonable to raise the question of where the virtual world ends and the real world begins and vice versa” (2013, p. 154). This idea prompts us to consider the linear way we think and act in the real world and how this path can become distorted via the capabilities within augmented reality.

Sources:

Craig, A. B. (2013). Content is key! — Augmented reality content. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (151-183). New York: Elsevier.

Mod, C. (2011, August). Platforming books: Making Art Space Tokyo digital. Retrieved from http://craigmod.com/journal/platforming_books/

My experience in time-based editing

Reading Response Week of 10/1-10/3

Craig, Understanding Augmented Reality (Chapter 4 – Augmented Reality Software) and Costello, Multimedia Foundations (Chapter 13  – Time-Based Editing)

The same goes for last week in regard to my thoughts on Craig’s chapter. Of course, chapter four was informative and it’s great to have on hand the logistical information covering AR software, but in terms of blogging there’s not too much there. I was fascinated yet again, however, with Costello’s chapter on time-based editing, as it took me back to practicing journalism in my undergraduate days.  

I thought the best way to handle this week’s blog post would be to discuss the concepts and terminology from the chapter and apply them to some video examples of my own. I’ll be citing from the following three samples: 1) a series of packages compiled while interning with the WTVR-TV CBS 6 Richmond, VA sports department, 2) a package created while assisting Dr. Tharon Howard in the MATRF during the 2012-2013 academic year, and 3) a package created for Dr. Cynthia Haynes’ final composition project in Spring 2013.

See the MATRF video via the YouTube Channel

I’ve chosen these specific packages because they are all different in terms of what program they were created/edited in and in the types of video characteristics they showcase. The sports packages were edited using Apple’s Final Cut Pro; the MATRF package, in Adobe Premiere; and, the composition package, in Apple’s iMovie.

The CBS 6 sports package features two stories, the SunTrust VA State Golf Championship and a feature on Richmond Flying Squirrels standout player, Brandon Belt. The packages contain many unscripted action and dialog elements, as described by Costello in the reading. The VA State Golf championship story includes sound bites from key golfers, voiceover (as read by myself) and b-roll of the event. Prior to TV debut, I added supers (or titles) so that our viewers knew who the folks were. The baseball story also features these elements, as well as nat sound from the game noise and the fan chatter. Both of these packages feature me, the reporter, on camera; I close the golf package (a sign-off) and open the baseball story (a stand-up) on camera.

Both the MATRF and composition project packages are less journalism-esque, as they were produced for educational purposes. Both packages include background music. As Costello writes, these audio assets were imported as uncompressed files and were placed on different tracks during the editing process. In addition, these two packages include titles in the lower third; these titles give information on the person talking and his/her affiliation or relevance to the story. The MATRF package features b-roll, while the composition project package does not.

The viewer might notice my lack of transitions in these three packages. Costello tells us why this is: “…you must use them with caution…sporadic and random use of transitions will likely overwhelm the viewer’s senses, potentially causing them to lose interest and disengage from the message” (412). Rather than incorporate fancy, out-of-place transitions and effects, I used simple cut-ins, cutaways, fades and dissolves to enhance the narrative continuity of each story (392).

I cannot stress enough the importance of file organization and saving. Costello highlights the issues of file size, storage and sharing capabilities, and I’ll be the first to reiterate his thoughts here. In all my times editing, the worst thing to happen is have files disappear or become accidently deleted. I’ve learned that file organization in editing projects is key, not only to the success of the end product but in the sanity of the creator as well.

I’m familiar with time-based, non-linear editing, and I completely agree with Costello’s closing thoughts in the chapter: “While you need to be able to use your NLE effectively, don’t get too tied up in the software—if you don’t understand basic editing concepts and theory, you won’t be able to communicate effectively…avoid becoming too attached to a particular NLE” (413). While I favorite Apple’s Final Cut Pro compared to Adobe Premiere and Avid (by a long shot), I’ve come to terms with learning how to work across these platforms.

Sources:

Costello, V. (2012). Time-based editing. Multimedia foundations: Core concepts for digital design (383-413). Boston: Elsevier.

Craig, A. B. (2013). Augmented reality software. Understanding augmented reality: Concepts and applications (125-149). New York: Elsevier.

All video content written, created and edited by Katie Mawyer.