Artefact 5 - Planning for the Creation of my Augmented Reality Business Card

To summaries my last artefact, it has given me good grounding for my next artefact (number 5) for developing my own Augmented Reality business card which will (hopefully) include virtual video content.

In researching methods to do this I've found two pathways to follow; One being an ActionScript 3.0 version utilizing a computer or laptop webcam, and the second pathway of developing it for Android using an Augmented Reality Software Development Kit (AR SDK) by Qualcomm.

In following the second pathway, I could actually use it on a supported mobile device which would be brilliant, but I'm struggling to get my head around the code, etc. so may have to keep to a simpler ActionScript 3.0 version until the next artefact.

I feel like I'm just scratching the surface but hopefully I can get the ball rolling over the next few days.

I'm also looking at the use of green screen to have my video with no background when displayed from the business card.

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Artefact 4 - Evaluation of my Augmented Reality Business Card Concepts

Reflecting back on my research topic and what I’ve learnt from the
last artefact, I wanted to include the use of Augmented Reality in the
sharing of information and ideas. I therefore took the results from my
last artefact and integrated a QR Code business card with an Augmented
Reality marker. I then developed 4 concepts of how this Augmented
Reality would work to test with users. These concepts included a
simple image/avatar,  a portfolio/flipbook, video content and finally
social media links.

Although these weren’t working prototypes, results from generating
these concepts showed that users preferred the portfolio/flipbook and
the video content to the other, simpler concepts. Opinions showed that
the ability to include a large amount of information on the flipbook
was a likeable quality however the QR Code within the marker could be
used to link to a website or portfolio which would be more suitable.
In using Augmented Reality to generate a virtual person within the
video it brings something unique to the virtual environment.

Users were also questioned on least effective concept with the simple
image and social media links scoring the highest. Comments that
emerged  from this highlighted the need for ease of use in accessing
the extra information, explanation of the icons and the inclusion of
more interactivity.

Finally over half the users agreed that they would adopt the business
card that included the Augmented Reality video content with the
portfolio/flipbook getting a positive response too. Reasoning behind
this came from the ability to present yourself as a designer which
would firstly show off your personality and secondly to put a name to
a face or brand.

To summarise, this artefact has given me good grounding for my next
artefact developing my own Augmented Reality business card which will
include virtual video content.

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Artefact 4 - Presentation

artefact4.pdf Download this file

Concepts for Augmented Reality Business Cards, Artefact 4.

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Take a look at my fourth artefact - Concepts for Augmented Reality Business Cards

Take a look at my fourth artefact and then fill in the survey that's linked to the page.

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Artefact 4 - 4 Uses of Augmented Reality with a Business Card

Here are four different concepts for an Augmented Reality business card. I want to find out which one people believe to be the most beneficial to then go ahead with and create it for real (hopefully)

 

The types of AR include -

• Simple image/avatar
• A portfolio/flipbook navigated through by clicking on the red arrows
• A video with audio. This would include either a personal introduction or the reading of my CV
• Various social media links

I've also come across 'Junaio' an Augmented Reality browser - http://www.junaio.com/ which is similar to 'Layar' - http://www.layar.com/ which may be worth a look at, especially the developer side of things.

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Artefact 4 - Further Development

So the plan is to integrate a QR Code and an AR marker to create a 2-in-1 business card. It can then be used as an AR marker to show 3D content via a webcam or smartphone or can be scanned by a QR Reader to get the contact details within the QR Code.

Here are some examples of QR-based Augmented Reality -

Now putting this idea onto a business card could come out with something like this...

via http://visualcard.me/

This example also offers the ability for anyone to create their own AR business card, however in trying to sign up I haven't been able to get any login details sent through to my email address. This is probably due to some problems with their site.

One of the best examples of an AR business card can be found below. It also includes a QR Code however it's slightly separated from the AR marker.

via http://www.t-o-x-i-n.de/index.php/2009/07/18/allgemein/augmented-businesscard-english/

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Artefact 4 -

I was reading through some of my notes for my previous artefacts and found some interesting points which will hopefully help me with my fourth artefact. I still want to keep close to my research document question in doing this artefact too - Could the use of QR Codes and Augmented Reality improve the way we share information and communicate with each other?

• Without me telling you anything about myself and given that I'm happy to share all my information with you, would you be able to virtually get information from me via the use of a QR Codes and Augmented Reality

With keeping this idea of sharing personal information with a business card, I want to look at a more developed concept of the business card. This includes the use of Augmented Reality.

I want to look at face recognition software which would recognise a persons face and augment their virtual business card around their heads. I know there's already a concept idea for this as seen below, but I want to develop it and see how it can be improved. Ultimately I would like to develop my own version of this but I'm not entirely sure how I will go about it.

Here are some Action Script face recognition videos that I've found that might help -

And some face recognition software that might be of help - http://www.pittpatt.com/

And a final video of using just AR on a card. This could be the first step to artefact 4.

Using AR and a QR Code on a business card then to maybe develop that idea in the next artefact suggesting 'what if you don't have a business card at all?'

Some more geo-location based comments I took from my note book too -

• Creating a digital footprint
• Voice you opinion in a QR code and attach it to a government building
• Using QR codes to find events each venue has a QR code with navigates you to the venue.

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Artefact 3 - QR Code Business Cards, Evaluation

Given the previous artefact was looking at real-world applications of QR Codes within a commercial advertising context I wanted to look at the relevance they had to self-promotion, with particular emphasis on promoting myself as a web designer. In doing this I looked at how a traditional business card could be improved by utilising new technologies like the QR Code. In designing five prototype business cards I was then able to test their effectiveness.

From the data collected it was apparent that although a traditional style business card was more visually appealing to most, users found the business card that included the QR Code saving the information directly to their phone was most effective in sharing the information. This was due to its ability to provide information that didn't rely on having an internet connection or Wi-Fi as the other QR Code linked to a web page.

Although there was a positive response to the QR Code being included with half the users agreeing to adopting this type of business card for themselves, it was still apparent that a business card could not rely on a QR Code by itself. It had to include some sort of explanation or extra content that was relevant to what the QR Code was offering. This highlighted a slight issue with trust in not knowing what the QR Code actually included. Although QR Code readers are uncommon, making the inclusion of a QR Code slightly pointless, it does shows an interest in utilising modern technologies which is a likeable quality for an potential employer or client.

To conclude, the artefact was a success as it highlighted the beneficial use of a QR Code and therefore is a technology that will be include in the final year Multimedia exhibition catalogue under each student’s profile.

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Artefact 3 - Presentation

artefact3.pdf Download this file

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Artefact 3 - Come and Test My Business Cards

Follow the link below to see my next artefact and don't forget to fill in the survey! -

http://www.cityandwool.co.uk/artefact3/

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Artefact 3 - Development with QR Codes and Business Cards

After looking through the a few different variations of sharing personal data that is usually included on a business card, I have decided to use the following online services -

QRVcards.com
http://www.qrvcards.com/

Through inputting the data you want to share, it codes it directly into the QR Code meaning there is no need to access any web pages. It easily saves the data to your phones address book.

PingTags

http://pingtags.com

It generates a QR Code which links to your PingTags profile page which looks like this - http://2d4.me/166osd4#home It also gives detailed web analytics with the service.

The QR Code Generated by PingTags -

After scanning the QR Code above here's how it looks on an Apple iPod Touch - 

I now need to create three business cards, one using each of the methods above and the third using the traditional method of basic text for comparison.

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iQR is the New QR Code

Let's start off with an innovative TV advert from Axa Bank Belgium -

'The ad for Axa’s home insurance iPhone app, shows a house with a QR Code where the door should be and we see something crashing through the house roof. Viewers are invited to scan the code to see what actually happened. It’s certainly innovative and doubly so because what happened is something you don’t need to insure against' via http://2d-code.co.uk/axa-qr-code-tv-ad/

Now lets look at something new, the iQR Code!

'QR Code inventor’s Denso Wave have developed a successor they have called iQR. The new 2d barcode was created at the request of the industrial market for a code with a higher data capacity, printable is a smaller space and working in a rectangular format. iQR has an 80% higher data capacity and for the equivalent data is 30% smaller. Also the new code can be used in a rectangular format for printing in narrow spaces or on cylindrical products. Denso see the primary applications in the car and aviation industries and are planning a full ISO standard specification. Like the QR Code they also plan to make the specification available and in the public domain for use by anyone free of charge, subject to Trademark (77576894). At the moment there are only two industrial Denso readers that can decipher iQR and they are used in the Japanese market. I doubt very much that iQR will ever be used for marketing purposes but it is interesting to know that Denso has not been standing still.' via http://2d-code.co.uk/iqr-qr-code/

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Artefact 3 - QR Codes, Business Cards and vCards

Following from the success of the previous artefact, I'm now wanting to focus on their application to us as individuals. How can we use these QR Codes to promote ourselves, network and share details with each other.

Given that both the application download and movie trailer were considered to be the most effective applications of QR Codes, it's harder to include an application download within my particular self-promotion method. I've therefore done some more research on ways we would usually approach this task - The use of business cards, but more specifically integrating the use of a vCard.

With this idea of bringing the business card into the 21st century I want to start by combining old traditional styles with the updated use of a QR Code linked to a vCard then finding out what kind of response this promotes. The service LinkedIn could also prove helpful as I'm looking into more professional contacts.

I designing my own examples I will also be testing current QR Code/vCard services that are on the web to see which methods/services work the best.

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Artefact 2 - Real-world Applications of Quick Response Codes - Evaluation

With the previous artefact showing that there was no real interest or engagement with QR Codes, I create a series of posters that would promote and test the technology. Having the ability to scan QR Codes is paramount to its success therefore the first poster included steps on installing the i-nigma application onto a smartphone. The success was then measured by assessing the ease of download, installation and running of the application. Results showed that i-nigma was easy to use in all aspects with a variation of smartphones, with the exception of a Windows 7 phone that wasn't compatible with the application.

Real-world applications of QR Codes were then looked at with the following four posters offering video content, purchase of audio content, application download and finally access to contact details. Following the distribution of these posters to a group of smartphone users all agreed that the QR Codes promoted a quicker, more efficient alternative to their traditional methods of preforming the same task. Users however preferred to purchase music via a desktop computer rather their smartphone.

In retrospective to the outcome, pre-installed music stores only existed with Apple smartphones which made it harder for cross-compatible music downloads links. The application download also only linked through to Apple’s App Store. To combat these iPhone specific links, sending the user through a web link to determine its type to then give the user the appropriate, compatible link would solve the problem. Video compatibility was also a problem as Android didn’t support MP4 with 3GP format being used.

To summarise, the application download and movie trailer were the most useful due to their speed and ease which show that QR Codes can be useful in sharing information and can act as a mediator between printed media and the web.

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Artefact 2 - Real-World Applications of Quick Response Codes - Presentation

Download now or preview on posterous

artefact2.pdf (557 KB)

Presentation on my second artefact

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Artefact 2 - Real-World Applications of Quick Response Codes - Data

Small amount of data taken from my second artefact ready to be used in my presentation tomorrow.

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Artefact 1 - A Survey on Quick Response Codes - Evaluation

To gain a better understanding of how users perceive Quick Response Code, I presented them with a survey consisting of 10 questions. This survey was then completed by 51 users. Although many users found it difficult to complete it due to a lack of knowledge on the subject, I found that the data gathered was useful in clarifying my second artefact. As technology and software play a big part in the success of QR Codes, I decided not to restrict the participants to any prior requirements and presented it to a mixture of users. This gave me a clearer picture on how well the technology had been adopted but also highlighted faults in the design of the survey itself. In not using any form of branching, all non-relevant questions where visible to all users. This included questions on scanning QR Codes although the user may not have a smartphone to do so. In choosing to use SurveyMonkey for the set  up and distribution of the survey it was easy and effortless. However if I were to re-design the survey I would have researched alternative online methods that would have supported branching, or possibly drawn upon my own abilities to created one myself. After a group discussion it was clear that some questions could have been improved in being more precise with scales and detail, in which I agreed. This included adding a visual element of a QR Code for users to see and example, and to change a large scale to a more precise, smaller scale to show more depth in the data. Although there were faults with the survey, which I could have improved, the outcome of the survey showed that there was no real public interest or engagement with QR Codes.

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