Co-Designing Novel Interior Design Services that Utilise Augmented Reality: A Case Study

Key Technology: Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is defined as an interactive real-time system that combines real and virtual elements in 3D (Azuma, et al., 2001). Virtual reality (VR) consists only of virtual elements. Diminished reality is a system where objects are removed from the real environment, and mediated reality refers to a system where real environment is altered virtually (Mann, 2002). Mixed reality (MR) is a concept that covers all possible combinations of real and virtual elements, from reality to total virtuality (Milgram, Takemura, Utsumi & Kishino, 1994). From the user’s point of view, the functionalities of a system are more important than the technology categorisation. “The basis in all the discussions was an AR system in which real images are augmented with virtual objects. However, in sessions the discussion was open to all forms of combination and alteration of real and virtual elements, including all the above-mentioned technologies –we used the term AR for simplicity, though.”

Figure 1.

With a mobile AR application the user can see virtual designs in the real environment

Augmented reality provides a practical visualisation method for purposes where there is a need to enhance the user’s perception. Interior design, in particular, is an application field where the combination of real and virtual benefits the user (Siltanen, 2012). Web-based AR applications – in not requiring installation or downloading – are consumer friendly and can be integrated with social media and web stores. Also, recent mobile devices are equipped with reasonable-sized displays and have a network connection for accessing the Internet. Based on these facts, we selected a web-based AR interior design service as a starting point for the co-design discussions, and presumed that users could augment digital images and operate the system by using a PC or mobile device.