AR Enterprise Manager
Introduction
The Augmented Reality Enterprise Manager (AREM) empowers merchants to oversee the Shopping Suite’s AR functionalities and product catalog on their website or app. This encompasses managing catalogs, 3D and 2D assets, and downloading the SDK, among other key functionalities. With AREM, merchants can easily update their product offerings and ensure that their AR assets are always current and relevant. Uploaded catalogs fuel Fit Finder, allowing association of AR assets with each product, enhancing the shopping experience by providing customers with realistic visualizations and accurate sizing information.
My Role
As a member of the newly formed Augmented Reality Enterprise Suite (ARES) team, I was tasked with being Lead Product Designer on the preliminary design of AREM as a proof-of-concept for both the team and the merchants. This initial design served as a critical foundation, demonstrating the potential of the tool and its capabilities. By applying user-centered design principles, I created an intuitive interface that allowed merchants to easily navigate and manage their augmented reality assets. The insights gained during this phase not only showcased the tool’s functionalities but also informed further iterations, ensuring we effectively met user needs.
Project Collaborators
- Product Manager: Collaborated to ensure design aligned with strategic goals.
- Head of Design: Worked together to refine the overall design direction.
- User Researcher: Partnered to gather insights and enhance usability.
- Product Designers: Sought feedback to improve the final product.
- Engineers: Ensured technical requirements were met through collaboration.
Design Process
- Define
- Research
- Architecture
- Design
- Result
AR Enterprise Manager
Introduction
The Augmented Reality Enterprise Manager (AREM) empowers merchants to oversee the Shopping Suite’s AR functionalities and product catalog on their website or app. This encompasses managing catalogs, 3D and 2D assets, and downloading the SDK, among other key functionalities. With AREM, merchants can easily update their product offerings and ensure that their AR assets are always current and relevant. Uploaded catalogs fuel Fit Finder, allowing association of AR assets with each product, enhancing the shopping experience by providing customers with realistic visualizations and accurate sizing information.
My Role
As a member of the newly formed Augmented Reality Enterprise Suite (ARES) team, I was tasked with being Lead Product Designer on the preliminary design of AREM as a proof-of-concept for both the team and the merchants. This initial design served as a critical foundation, demonstrating the potential of the tool and its capabilities. By applying user-centered design principles, I created an intuitive interface that allowed merchants to easily navigate and manage their augmented reality assets. The insights gained during this phase not only showcased the tool’s functionalities but also informed further iterations, ensuring we effectively met user needs.
Project Collaborators
- Product Manager: Collaborated to ensure design aligned with strategic goals.
- Head of Design: Worked together to refine the overall design direction.
- User Researcher: Partnered to gather insights and enhance usability.
- Product Designers: Sought feedback to improve the final product.
- Engineers: Ensured technical requirements were met through collaboration.
Design Process
- Define
- Research
- Architecture
- Design
- Result
Define
Duration: 1 week
Collaborated with: Product Manager, Head of Design, and Engineers to ensure alignment on user requirements, technical feasibility, and business goals.
We conducted multiple stakeholder meetings to establish a clear problem statement and define key functionalities for the tool. The collaboration between product designers and engineers was crucial in addressing both user needs and technical constraints, resulting in a design that effectively supports merchants in managing AR functionalities and product catalogs. This foundational work ensured a seamless integration of features while aligning with broader business strategies.
Problem Statement
How might we create an intuitive internal tool that empowers merchants to efficiently manage their AR functionalities and product catalogs?
Key Objectives
- User Engagement: Secure 100 merchants for beta testing within the first month.
- Usability Validation: Achieve a 90% success rate in core usability tests before launch.
- Feature Adoption: Reach 80% user engagement with catalog features within three months of launch.
Product Roadmap
Outlines the key stages of research, design, and development, all aimed at creating an efficient internal tool that supports merchants in managing their AR assets seamlessly.
Research
Duration: 2 weeks
Collaborated with: Engineers and User Researcher to gather insights and understand merchant needs through interviews and usability testing
We aimed to understand merchant requirements and the technical landscape for AR functionalities. Through comprehensive user research, we explored merchants’ challenges and goals, while technical discussions ensured that the design aligned with feasibility. This combined approach provided critical insights that shaped our design strategy.
Market Research
To assess the competitive landscape, we analyzed various AR solutions used by merchants, focusing on tools for effective management of AR assets. Notable platforms like Shopify AR, Zakeke, and Threekit were examined for their catalog management and 3D model integration features. This analysis revealed key trends, such as the demand for seamless integration with e-commerce platforms and user-friendly asset management interfaces, enabling us to effectively position our tool to meet merchant needs.
User Research
This involved conducting interviews and usability testing with prospective users to uncover their preferences, needs, and pain points when managing AR functionalities. We focused on understanding how merchants interact with AR tools and identified areas where existing solutions fall short. By utilizing techniques such as affinity mapping and task analysis, we organized the insights gathered to inform our design approach.
Affinity Diagram
A structured approach to organizing user feedback into thematic groups, including User Experience, Features, Support Integration, and Feedback. This clustering allowed us to pinpoint user expectations, identify pain points, and uncover opportunities for refinement, aligning our design more closely with user needs and behaviors.
Task Analysis
This involves breaking down user tasks into individual steps to identify goals and challenges, aiding in workflow optimization and usability improvement.
Architecture
Duration: 1 week
Collaborated with: Product Manager and Engineers to ensure the structure effectively supports seamless navigation, user needs, and technical requirements.
This section focuses on structuring the tool’s layout to enable straightforward navigation and seamless access to key functionalities. By establishing a logical hierarchy, we ensured merchants could easily move between catalog management, AR features, and asset uploads, simplifying complex interactions for a more streamlined experience.
Sitemap
This visual framework depicts the arrangement of key features and their connections within the tool. This organized structure ensures that users can quickly locate and access the functionalities they require.
User Flows
Carefully crafted pathways were developed to provide intuitive access to primary functions, aiming to support user goals and minimize navigational complexity.
Catalogs Flow
Assets Flow
Download SDK Flow
Design
Duration: 4 weeks
Collaborated with: Product Designers and User Researchers to ensure alignment between design concepts and user needs.
In the initial stages, we created sketches and low-fidelity wireframes to explore different layout options and interactions. This phase enabled us to visualize ideas quickly and gather feedback, refining our concepts before advancing to mid-fidelity designs. By emphasizing user tasks and flow, we aimed to create intuitive interfaces that effectively addressed pain points and enhanced overall experience.
Crazy 8s
We rapidly brainstormed varied interface ideas to enhance AR functionality, catalog organization, and intuitive SDK access.
Wireframes
Explored intuitive wireframes that mapped the user journey, ensuring seamless interactions and an engaging experience within the ARES ecosystem.
Mid-fidelity Designs
Refinements were made to enhance user interactions, prioritizing intuitive access to features such as role management and dashboard customization.
Result
Work on AREM was stopped when Snap Inc. announced the closure of its AR Enterprise Services (ARES) division, which was primarily driven by a loss of competitive advantage. The rise of generative AI tools enabled competitors to easily create AR experiences, diminishing Snap’s unique market position. Additionally, this decision came amidst significant financial challenges for the company, including a year-over-year revenue decline, prompting a strategic shift towards prioritizing web tools over mobile solutions​