Designing an AR app for Gazzda to improve UX and increase sales…

Full case study: https://www.mureezz.com/cs/gazzda

Back in 2017, I found myself at the intersection of furniture design and new technology almost nobody had experience with. I partnered with Gazzda, a furniture brand known for its very recognizable sleek, minimalist furniture. We were up for a challenge - create a mobile app that would redefine how people shop for furniture.

This wasn't just another e-commerce project. We were diving into the world of AR, aiming to be one of the first to bring this technology to furniture shoppers on a broad scale. The goal? To let customers virtually 'try out' Gazzda's pieces in their own homes before making a purchase.

It was an exciting prospect. We weren't just designing an app, we were crafting an experience that would bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds of furniture shopping. Little did we know then how this project would transform not just Gazzda's business, but the very way people think about furnishing their spaces.

The furniture industry had a problem with a fundamental issue: the disconnect between how a piece looks in a showroom or online catalog and how it fits into a customer's actual living space. This uncertainty often led to hesitation in purchasing, increased returns, and overall customer dissatisfaction.

We recognized this pain point and saw an opportunity to leverage AR to solve it. They needed a solution that would:

🛋️ Allow customers to visualize furniture in their own spaces

🤔 Reduce the uncertainty in the purchase decision

📦 Decrease return rates due to size or style mismatches

✨ Enhance the overall shopping experience to align with their brand values

Our answer to this challenge was the Gazzda AR Interior Design app. This mobile application levarages the power of AR to allow customers to virtually place Gazzda's furniture in their own homes before making a purchase.

Our answer to this challenge was the Gazzda AR Interior Design app. This mobile application levarages the power of AR to allow customers to virtually place Gazzda's furniture in their own homes before making a purchase.

Our UX research process was comprehensive, employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to gain deep insights into user needs and behaviors.

Based on our research, we developed three key user personas to guide our design decisions

As a crucial part of our design process, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 individuals, all of whom had recently purchased furniture or were actively in the market for new pieces. These interviews were designed to uncover the nuances of the furniture shopping experience, from initial inspiration to final purchase decision.

I love the idea of seeing furniture in my space before buying. It's like try before you buy. I've made too many mistakes with pieces that looked great in the store but awful in my apartment.

I love the idea of seeing furniture in my space before buying. It's like try before you buy. I've made too many mistakes with pieces that looked great in the store but awful in my apartment.

I love the idea of seeing furniture in my space before buying. It's like try before you buy. I've made too many mistakes with pieces that looked great in the store but awful in my apartment.

Alma, 37

I need to know it'll fit and look good before I spend that kind of money. If an app could show me that, it'd save me a lot of headaches. Plus, it would help me convince my wife that a piece works before we commit.

I need to know it'll fit and look good before I spend that kind of money. If an app could show me that, it'd save me a lot of headaches. Plus, it would help me convince my wife that a piece works before we commit.

I need to know it'll fit and look good before I spend that kind of money. If an app could show me that, it'd save me a lot of headaches. Plus, it would help me convince my wife that a piece works before we commit.

Semir, 55

I once bought a couch that looked great in the store but was way too big for my living room. I wish I had a way to see it in my space first. An AR app sounds perfect for avoiding these kinds of expensive mistakes.

I once bought a couch that looked great in the store but was way too big for my living room. I wish I had a way to see it in my space first. An AR app sounds perfect for avoiding these kinds of expensive mistakes.

I once bought a couch that looked great in the store but was way too big for my living room. I wish I had a way to see it in my space first. An AR app sounds perfect for avoiding these kinds of expensive mistakes.

Edvin, 29

These interviews not only validated our initial assumptions about the need for an AR furniture shopping solution but also provided invaluable insights into the specific features and functionalities that would resonate most with our target users. Concerns expressed by our interviewees directly informed our design decisions, ensuring that the app would address real needs in the furniture shopping experience.

In my experience, you need to test 18 users to have an 85% chance of finding 90% of the problems with the product. We conducted thorough usability testing with our low-fidelity prototype. Here are the key results:

AR Interface:

Navigation:

Customization:

Performance:

Overall Experience:

Based on these results, we made several refinements to our design:

Added clearer visual cues for furniture scale in AR view

Implemented a "save versions" feature for customized furniture

Optimized AR rendering for better performance on older devices

Began exploring the possibility of in-app purchasing for future updates

First version of the app:

The Gazzda AR Interior Design app was designed with simplicity and functionality in mind. Here's how it works:

Using their device's camera, users scan the room where they want to place the furniture.

With a few taps, they can place virtual furniture in their space, rotate it, and move it around.

The app allows users to change dimensions, materials, and colors of the furniture.

Once satisfied, users can save their designs and share them with friends and family.

The app helps users locate and contact nearby dealers to purchase their chosen furniture or directly purchase furniture if available.

One of the biggest challenges we faced was rendering realistic-looking furniture models that would work seamlessly across both iOS and Android platforms. We used SceneKit for iOS and Unity for Android, developing a custom solution to ensure consistent look and feel across devices.

Another hurdle was creating an intuitive user experience for interacting with virtual objects in a real-world environment. We implemented features like shadows and hovering movements to guide users in placing and manipulating furniture naturally.

Seeing the positive impact on both customer satisfaction and business metrics was incredibly rewarding. It really drove home the power of user-centered design in creating meaningful solutions. Who knew sofas could be so high-tech?

This project is a constant reminder of how thoughtfully applied technology can elevate everyday experiences. Now, if only we could apply AR to make assembling flat-pack furniture a breeze , but that's a challenge for another day.