Inspiration
Online shopping has been the norm for a while, but the COVID-19 pandemic has impelled even more businesses and customers alike to shift to the digital space. Unfortunately, it also accentuated the frustrations associated with online shopping. People often purchase items online, only to find out what they receive is not exactly what they want. AR is the perfect technology to bridge the gap between the digital and physical spaces; we wanted to apply that to tackle issues within online shopping to strengthen interconnection within e-commerce!
What it does
scannAR allows its users to scan QR codes of e-commerce URLs, placing those items in front of where the user is standing. Users may also scan physical items to have them show up in AR. In either case, users may drag and drop anything that can be scanned or uploaded to the real world.
Now imagine the possibilities. Have technicians test if a component can fit into a small space, or small businesses send their products to people across the planet virtually, or teachers show off a cool concept with a QR code and the students' phones. Lastly, yes, you can finally play Minecraft or build yourself a fake house cause I know house searching in Kingston is hard.
How we built it
We built the scannAR app using Unity with the Lean Touch and Big Furniture Pack assets. We used HTML, CSS, Javascript to create the business website for marketing purposes.
Challenges we ran into
This project was our first time working with Unity and AR technology, so we spent many hours figuring their processes out. A particular challenge we encountered was manipulating objects on our screens the way we wanted to. With the time constraint, the scope of UI/UX design was limited, making some digital objects look less clean.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Through several hours of video tutorials and some difficulty, we managed to build a functioning AR application through Unity, while designing a clean website to market it. We felt even prouder about making a wide stride towards tackling e-commerce issues that many of our friends often rant about.
What we learned
In terms of technical skills, we learned how to utilize AR technology, specifically Unity. Initially, we had trouble moving objects on Unity; after completing this project, we have new Unity skills we can apply throughout our next hackathons and projects. We learned to use our existing front-end web development skills to augment our function with form.
What's next for scannAR
In the near future, we aim to flesh out the premium subscription features to better cater to specific professions. We also plan on cleaning up the interface to launch scannAR on the app stores. After its release, it will be a constant cycle of marketing, partnerships with local businesses, and re-evaluating processes.
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