ToSense.
A Multisensory Showcase that Brings Commodities to Life
Sensory marketing can be used to create subconscious triggers that characterize consumer perceptions of abstract notions of the product. In this project, we utilized multi-sensory modules to enhance consumers' perception of product information, and thus create a novel, engaging, and lively shopping experience.
ROLE |
Team Leader, Research, Concept, Sketch, Electronic Development, Physical Prototyping, Video Making.
Collaborated with Qiuning Wu (Modeling, Rendering), Xiaying Ying (Research, Concept, Physical Prototyping), and Xiangyu Chen (Unity Development)
TYPE |
Final Project of Information Design Class
DURATION |
2019.4 - 2019.6 (2 months)
OVERVIEW
Although the way commodities are displayed is constantly changing, the current way of product display is still limited to a one-dimensional visual experience. Other dimensional information, such as smell, touch, and hearing is often missing, which hinders customers from perceiving "a real product".
We designed a showcase that utilized multisensory modules to enhance customers' perception of commodity information, and thus create a more immersive, engaging, and lively shopping experience.
Outcome
BACKGROUND
Historical Research
"Defamiliarizing spurring imagination opening new design spaces". We started by historical analysis of existing ways to display commodity information so that we can learn from the past.
What's the trend of commodity information display?
Customers gradually put forward higher requirements for shopping experience. With the advent of "New Retail" wave, the offline shopping experience has once again attracted widespread attention, which spawned new commodity display methods to attract customers in the new era. Commodity display is developing to allow users perceive richer and comprehensive product information, and is creating a more interactive and convenient user experience.
Problem Space
Although the way commodities are displayed is constantly changing, the current way of product display is still limited to a one-dimensional visual experience. For example, while AR/VR technologies offer new opportunities for participants to create immersive experiences to learn about commodities, they are enhancing information in the visual realm but failing to enhance other senses such as smell, touch, and hearing. Our questions are:
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How to further enhance users' perception of commodities?
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What are other requirements/possibilities of commodity display in New Retail Era?
RESEARCH
User Interviews
We focused on the commodity display in specialty stores, since specialty stores have a higher awareness of user experience in order to establish a good brand image.
Both customers and sellers of specialty stores are our potential users, so we conducted interviews on both groups.
Sensory Marketing Theory
To investigate possible ways to enhance customers' perception of commodities, we conducted literature review on "sensory marketing" (i.e. marketing that engages the consumers' senses and affects their perception, judgment, and behavior). Below is the conceptual framework of sensory marketing (Aradhna Krishna, 2012).
The framework suggests that sensory marketing can be used to create subconscious triggers that characterize consumer perceptions of abstract notions of the product.
IDEATION
Design Concept
Based on user research and literature investigation, we proposed the concept of a self-service showcase that can bring consumers multi-sensory, immersive, and interactive experience. Also, such self-service showcase is promising to provide consumers with more personalized and customized experience based on their profiles.
Brainstorming Multi-sensory Experience
When brainstorming what modules could possibly be used to augment users' perception of the product, we learned from the nature. Before commodities are processed into commodities, they are from the nature! For example, before perfume was processed, it used to be rose, rain, lemon, vetiver, etc.
With this inspiration, we started to think:
Instead of letting users interact with an inanimate commodity...
What if we can bring the commodity to real life? What if users can “feel” the raw materials, processing, and the origin of the products?
Taking inspiration from the beautiful nature, we brainstormed 5 possible sensory modules:
User Flow
I designed the interaction logistics when using our product display. To provide both personalized and customized experience for different customers with interests in different products, our showcase will recognize the product put inside the showcase, and then it will recognize the user to gain his/her profiles, e.g., preferences, so that more personalized information could be presented. Users will then interact with the showcase to acquire different multi-sensory information.
Technical Solution Comparison
We proposed 3 possible solutions to augment the visual information of the commodities. A mixture of digital information and the physical product would bring more immersive and novel experience for users.
To decide the technical solution we were going to use, we compared the three possible solutions in terms of technical feasibility, aesthetics, adaptability to different store contexts, etc. We adopted solution 3, which uses a 45 degree holographic phantom imaging film to project virtual information on the real product.
DESIGN
Structure Design
To design the basic structure of our showcase, we looked up existing showcases, ToyFx Display Box, and holographic imaging device, and we also analyzed the hardware requirements of each sensory module. The final product should have three major parts, which is shown below:
Image Board
After we have decided the basic structure, we created an image board to choose a suitable Industrial Design style of our Smart ToSense showcase. We analyzed the usage scenarios and functions of the showcase when collecting product images of suitable styles.
Appearance Iterations
After we have decided the basic structure, we created an image board to choose a suitable Industrial Design style of our Smart ToSense showcase. We analyzed the usage scenarios and functions of the showcase when collecting product images of suitable styles.
Final Structure
Usage Scenarios
I created the storyboard to depict the whole user journey of how user might interact with our smart showcase.
MVP and Testing
We created paper prototypes as a minimum viable product (MVP) to test the size, stability, and technical feasibility of our design.
IMPLEMENTATION
Electronics
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Commodity Detection. We use infrared ranging sensors to detect in real time whether there is any product approaching within the range of the showcase. Once it is detected that the product is put into the showcase, the sensor sends a signal to the Raspberry Pi, which will start capturing images.
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Visual Information Display. The image recognition results will then be communicated to Unity, and the visual display would be changed accordingly.
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Gesture Interactions. The Leap Motion Unity assets provide an easy way to get motion-controlled hands into a Unity application, so that user gestures can trigger the changes of visual display in Unity.
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Other sensory modules. The Raspberry Pi will communicate with Unity and control the atomizers to produce "mist", light strips to create different lighting effects, and the audio to augment users' hearing experience.
User Testing
Finally, we placed our showcase in a gift shop at Zhejiang University and asked participants to interact with the showcase. Our smart showcase gained high appraise from participants.
FURTHER THOUGHTS
Attracting potential consumers in the shopping mall
On the consumers' side, I think our showcase can also be an eye-catching marketing strategy for potential consumers, since passersby may also be attracted by such novel interaction and display.
Create more personalized and customized experience
Also, such a self-service showcase is promising to present more personalized information for consumers. They can explore their interested features about the commodity, get recommendations about similar products, etc. Not only can consumers enjoy more personalized and flexible shopping experience, but sellers will reduce much manpower in repeated introduction tasks.
Collect user data to further improve products/services
On the sellers' side, they can collect useful data from consumers' interaction with different commodities. Such interaction data is often missing in traditional stores but is very valuable for decision-making in commodity display strategies, e.g., what products are more attractive for users, what kind of information will effectively stimulate their desire to purchase, etc.