Phable

Businesscontext

Our New Zealand-based client, a serial entrepreneur, came up with the idea of AR-enhanced live photo books.

He approached Krootl after reading our article on 'Image tracking with ARKit,' with the request to shape a product logic and then implement a technical solution.

Customer goals for Phable:

Seize opportunities in the growing AR market

Make a tangible representation of video

Simplify sharing of media memories

Design a distinctive e-shop for the unique product

Provide a software solution for offline Phable showrooms, enabling on-the-spot augmented reality demonstrations

Enable users to personalize their Phable product using media from their phone.

Seize opportunities in the growing AR market

Make a tangible representation of video

Simplify sharing of media memories

Design a distinctive e-shop for the unique product

Provide a software solution for offline Phable showrooms, enabling on-the-spot augmented reality demonstrations

Enable users to personalize their Phable product using media from their phone.

While AR technology has been around, only recently has it reached a level of sophistication suitable for consumer applications.

Phable, with its initial release in 2018, was among the first who incorporated AR technology for a new consumer experience.

While AR technology has been around, only recently has it reached a level of sophistication suitable for consumer applications.

Phable, with its initial release in 2018, was among the first who incorporated AR technology for a new consumer experience.

Challenges

Early adoption of mobile augmented reality

In 2018, when we began this project, mobile augmented reality was still in its infancy. At the time, Apple's ARKit framework had only a limited set of features, allowing only basic interactions with the environment. The technology didn't support a crucial feature needed for our product - image tracking. Therefore, we had to develop our own technical expertise.

Seamless media sharing

One of the main challenges during roadshows and on-the-spot app usage was the flawless media sharing between the user's gallery and the showroom iPad app. To address this we developed an intuitively accessible solution. Users simply scan a QR code to connect to the showroom iPad, enabling seamless file transfer from their phone to the Kiosk app with just a few taps.

Time and Budget

To optimize time and budget we utilized Apple's cross-platform technology, MacCatalyst. This technology enabled us to design a single application that seamlessly runs on both iOS and Mac platforms. By leveraging this approach, we could efficiently reuse the code from the iOS client app for the iPad Showroom and MacOS Admin panel apps.

Solution

A marker-based augmented reality application for both iOS and Android platforms complemented by a MacOs admin panel and an iPad Showroom application.

Client app

Admin panel

Kiosk app

Backend

Print shop

Delivery to the customer

Client app

Admin panel

Kiosk app

Backend

Print shop

Delivery to the customer

Client App

- Catalog
- Product Details
- Shopping Cart
- Shipping Options
- ApplePay
- Order Summary
- Image and video editing tools
- Print editor

Krootl created an Augmented Reality camera module along with essential e-commerce features including a shopping cart, checkout, and product catalog. The application empowers users to select from a range of products that incorporate interactive augmented reality media sourced from their personal gallery.

The app also provides various customization options, such as a custom photo book cover editor and video editing tools, allowing users to unleash their creativity.

Showroom (iPad App)

- Catalog
- Product Details
- Direct in store WiFi data transfer to ease sending media from the user’s phone
- Editing tools

The iPad app is optimized for on-site use within print shops. Customers can browse the product catalog and print their own media onto selected items.

After purchase, their media is linked to the Phable Client and instantly available in AR.

To simplify the uploading process, we created a custom solution that utilizes QR code scanning and a direct WiFi data connection. This ensures that even 4K videos can be uploaded with ease.

Admin panel CMS (Mac OS)

- User Management
- Sales Data Aggregation
- Order Management
- Customer Support Integration
- Reporting and Analytics

The Mac OS app serves as an admin panel supporting both Phable Showroom and Phable Client. It consolidates sales and user information, facilitates order monitoring, and enables prompt response to client inquiries and requests.

We used MacCatalyst to create the app, enabling us to leverage cross-platform Apple technology and reuse logic from the Showroom and Client apps, saving time and money for the client.

Technologies

Integrations

Business context

Businesscontext

Challenges

Solution