AR technology is transforming children’s books and video games at the same time.
With the start of the augmented reality games in traditional books trend by Sony, with its Wonderbook for PlayStation 3, both of those forms of entertainment have been redefined and many other products are now being released to enhance the reading experience – particularly for children.
Among the most widely publicized successes of AR books for kids was iDinosaur.
However, it was truly the Wonderbook that sent augmented reality books into the mainstream almost two years ago. The idea behind this technology is that a physical book contains a number of different components that are not detectable to the human eye. The only way to be able to access and view them is to use a smartphone or a tablet and the right apps to bring them to life.
For instance, a child’s book could be read on its own, or include augmented reality components to allow for interaction.
When children’s books such as iDinosaur are viewed through the assistance of mobile devices and AR apps, the illustrations can appear to spring to the page and move about. Tyrannosaurus Rexes have since been leaping out of the pages to show their stuff – though in a much smaller and much more digital form, of course.
In 2014, the trend has continued through the French Connection. They have now released the first volume of a children’s story series, Jack Hunter, which will introduce their own interactive AR elements. This book will work as a standalone novel that can be enjoyed by itself, or it can be viewed with the assistance of mobile devices that help the reader to unlock a broader range of different interactive elements.
These include augmented reality images as well as additional interactive stories and games. Though this may seem quite complex to parents, the latest generation of youngsters is proving to be increasingly comfortable with touchscreens, apps, and the overall concept of smart devices. As many households now contain at least one of these mobile gadgets, it can make AR technology based books quite a comfortable fit into the overall reading experience.
When it comes to the customer experience, mobile is becoming increasingly important.
According to a report that has been issued by Magnani Caruso Dutton, a digital customer experience agency, based on the recent research that they have conducted, mcommerce is playing a growing role in making hotel accommodation bookings.
The report also made a number of suggestions regarding what hotels can do to enhance this experience.
The research was published in the report entitled “Seeing Returns: Building Loyalty at Hotels Through Digital Customer Experience”. What it showed was that, to an increasing degree, guests at hotels are reliant upon their mobile devices. As such, providing services and options to be accessed by those devices can help to enhance the experience of those customers. This mcommerce can help to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
The quality of an mcommerce experience has a notable impact on a guest’s willingness to make a booking.
Within the report, it showed that the quality of the website, mobile app, or other digital tools offered by a hotel has an impact on the decision to book of 72 percent of business travelers to a “moderate” or a “strong” degree. Similarly 64 percent of leisure travelers felt the same way, as did 74 percent of family travelers.
Once travelers arrive at their destinations, they assign a similar importance to mobile commerce and services as they did while they were making their bookings. Seventy four percent would like their hotels to provide them with “substantial” digital involvement in order to be able to improve the experience of their stay. It was especially notable that 80 percent of travelers desired to use their smartphones and tablets in order to learn more about the amenities of their hotel accommodations as well as the establishment’s hours of operation. Seventy eight percent would like to be able to take advantage of local maps over their gadgets.
Moreover, 73 percent expressed that they would like to use mcommerce services and features to be able to bypass the lineups once they arrive at a hotel, by being able to check in using their mobile devices. An equal number wanted to be able to request a late checkout by way of their smartphones and tablets.
