4 Things to Keep in Mind to Accelerate AR 🚀

As a creative technology studio, our team at MeshMinds has spent the last five years pushing the boundaries of technology and art to drive the sustainable development of people and our planet. We have partnered with the world’s most responsible brands and impact artists to build one-of-a-kind interactive experiences overlaying digital content onto the real world to excite,  engage and entice people to answer various calls-to-action. From face effects and world effects to target trackers and games, it’s safe to say we’ve had our fair share of experiences with augmented reality (“AR”).

If you’re interested in using the virtual world to tell stories that create change or simply want to know more about AR, here are 4 key takeaways from someone who is passionate and well-versed in one of the technologies that has been coined one of the ‘entry points’ to the metaverse:

1.    A social good AR campaign is only as good as its message. Beyond the flashy technologies and visually-arresting artwork the heart of any AR campaign is in what it’s saying. It’s important to acknowledge that AR is the medium, not the message. The most important bit is the call-to-action brought to life and made more engaging and memorable through the interaction with the AR experience. It’s absolutely vital to stay focused on what you want people to do after so if the message is unclear from the get-go, you’re going to end up confusing rather than educating. Even if you build the most exciting AR game, your audience will be lost if the main message is muddled. They will not fully understand the social good problem, what needs to be fixed, how they can be involved with the solution – and that will affect how impactful a campaign could be. 

2.    Revolutionise gameplay using motion control. Humans naturally love to play. It’s simply in our nature. This is one of the reasons Team MeshMinds is passionate about building games – so we can speak to this human inclination to learn through play and use that to draw people into the message even further. One of the special features of AR face effects and games is that they allow us to experiment with gesture-based interactions, powered by smiling, blinking or nodding to let the story unfold. This can then turn into increased brand and ad recall (which we saw happen in our Fashion Slowdown campaign).

This is also backed by data – we consistently see higher engagement with gamified experiences. They show longer dwell times, and mechanics like ‘Tag-a-Friend’ leverage our natural instincts to be competitive. This can increase the ripple effect of AR games on social media leading to higher reach and engagement. 

My favourite gesture-based game is Say No To Single Use, made in partnership with Shadow Factory, that was part of the 100 Days to #BeatPlasticPollution campaign by UNEP. By inviting people to shake their heads to reject the polluting plastics and to nod when they saw the reusables, we were able to connect what they had to do to win the game with what we wanted them to do in real life. Some food for thought: What gestures would you use to engage your audience in a way that draws them in naturally?

3.    The augmented layer is an opportunity to go deeper with your storytelling. It’s important that we let the world understand that AR goes way beyond simple animated assets flying around your device’s screen. AR can involve the physical location of an exhibition, which we implemented in Moo Moo PARK, Asia’s first drive-thru exhibition powered by electric vehicles; it can also play around with audio which is powerful in that it lifts a moving mural and really makes it feel alive.

With AR, we use layering techniques and particle systems to isolate and segment certain elements that allow us to put the person into a virtual scene. Many different elements of a painting or a drawing are considered, and being able to isolate every particle in that layer, every moment, every sound – that’s where the magic happens. AR allows artists to go deep with their storytelling in a way they never have before. 

4.    Those who create AR also help shape its future. AR is an evolving technology and platform, and many brands are still learning what is and isn’t possible. As creative technologists, part of our role is to engage with different stakeholders to show them the potential that lies in the virtual realm. We cannot do this in isolation, which is why it’s important that we keep in touch with other AR creators through the Meta Spark Community, the Snap Creator Marketplace and LensList, where you can find and share resources and best practices. This sense of community is important because we are all building the future of AR, together. Every project shows us what is possible right now and allows us to imagine something even bigger, better and more impactful.

It’s also our role to educate our clients through proper planning, expectation-setting, and direct communication. Creating good working relationships with brands and organisations and strengthening their confidence and belief in AR unlocks a new door of possibilities for all of us – both in the virtual and real worlds.

What are you most excited to see in AR? Comment down below, and let’s talk!