With the proliferation of technologically advanced smartphones, tablets and other powerful but handy devices, augmented reality (AR) becomes more widely and conveniently available.
This technology, which uses information available in audio, graphics, text, or GPS data integrated with the users’ real-time environment, has been gaining popularity and attention from many businesses and diverse industries not only because of the extraordinary experiences it produces but also because of the benefits it offers to their businesses.
Top 6 ways businesses and organizations can benefit from the technology
-
- Mobile and hands-free functionality
Augmented reality can bring more value to the mobile working environment or industries where the employees are either stationed outside of their offices and therefore do not have immediate access to information, or where workers need to keep their hands free, according to one Gartner report. This way, workers are able to perform their duties in a safe and more efficient manner. For example, in the healthcare environment, the doctors make use of voice commands in taking notes when checking the patient’s condition, and the information were transferred to the patient’s record straightaway. - Simplified workflows and enhanced business processes
AR provides great potential to enhance or simplify existing business processes and workflows, which ultimately increases productivity. With the use of augmented reality, employees become more highly efficient since AR devices respond to voice commands, gestures, taps or head movements. - Faster decision making
Users benefit from augmented reality as it enhances their senses through digital instruments enabling faster responses and decision-making. AR offers novel ideas in making real-time decisions through content visualization and virtual prototyping. When soldiers need critical information about their surroundings during a mission, they can receive 3D maps showing detailed information of their environment. Firefighters can make use of augmented reality to check the temperature or layout of the building so they are aware of the dangerous areas and where the exits are.
- Mobile and hands-free functionality
- Enhanced learning experience
By optimizing the use of modern technologies, educational institutions and training facilities can make education and training a more exciting experience for the students. For example, augmented reality can allow them to merge text and information with 3D computer graphics, or by recreating historical events into 3D images, making students become more engaged in the learning process. - Classified and helpful information
Commercial establishments, such as restaurants, bars and supermarkets benefit from augmented reality because geographical location and the real-time display of enriched maps, which act as a GPS, offers users categorized information. - Increased brand recognition by leveraging social network
If you are in the gaming industry, augmented reality helps achieve high visibility on social networks by offering an exciting experience to your target market. Games that are available on social networks entice players to connect and compete with their friends online and then post their scores on their walls, attracting other players to participate, thereby creating a huge customers engagement, which drastically increases brand recognition.
Whatever your line of business is, Four Cornerstone can help you understand how augmented reality can bring value to your enterprise and differentiate your offerings from the competition. After you have identified your business goals, our experts will help you asses how your organization can use augmented reality to achieve your goal before carrying out the deployment. Contact us now!
Photo by Tom Caswell.
