|
|
|||||||||||
Press Room > Press clipping > Article in Gazeta (Polish IT Magazine) |
An article about ShopLab was published in a Polish magazine. Download as pdf
Thomas Jöckel, Institute of interdisciplinary Research inter.research e.V. shoplab@inter-research.de
The growth of Internet shopping has resulted in significant retail change. Internet shops make it possible to browse, select and purchase products without travel to a physical store and opening hours are not restricted. However, traditional shops retain many advantages. They offer direct interaction with products, a social setting in which friends may interact and personal support from sales assistants. They also engender stronger feelings of trust than Internet sites, rendering customers more likely to make a purchase. To compete in the face of competition from virtual shops but also from large retail chains it is essential for traditional city centre shops to make the most of their inherent strengths. Such shops tend to provide personal, specialist services that more impersonal chain stores are less able to support. One way in which this might be achieved is through the use of new technologies that augment the traditional sales process by combining virtual information with tangible, real-world information. The result is to produce ‘hybrid' environments that provide customers with high-quality, entertaining and informative, yet personal experiences.
The aim of the ShopLab project is to develop such ‘hybrid' shopping environments that combine the advantages of shopping in both real and virtual environments. The project started in September 2001 and is partly funded by the European Commission. The ShopLab project consortium is leaded by Prof. Dr. Karim Khakzar from the University of Applied Sciences Fulda . It consists of eight partner organisations from different disciplines such as software developers, user interface designers, 3D specialists, shop interior architects and psychologists. Partners from different disciplines are very important to develop a system that is perfectly integrated into the shops. Thomas Berger , Director of the Institute of interdisciplinary Research inter.research e.V. underlines the importance of the multidisciplinary approach of the project: “Contributions of all of those disciplines are required to achieve user friendly solutions that can be integrated successfully into the retail shops. Often this aspect is underestimated and the additional efforts required when working in a multidisciplinary team are avoided. ShopLab recognized the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation from the beginning, which is reflected by project results.” Installations of new hybrid shopping environments can only be successful if they provide significant added value for the customers and the shop owners. Therefore a user centred design approach was chosen to ensure best user acceptance of the ShopLab system. During the whole project users were and will be asked about their opinion and usability tests will be made to check the acceptance of the prototypes. The results of these tests will be taken into account for the development of our systems.
First initial talks and tests with shop owners and customers resulted in a specification of a system based on a central core platform. This platform is implemented in a typical three-tier architecture. Several customizable modules can be connected to the platform according to the specific type of shop in which the system is installed. At the same time, the ShopLab system will provide each individual shop with its own specialized modules, dedicated to the particular needs of the type of store. The combination of the core platform and the different modules is called the ‘ShopLab Toolbox'. This toolbox will allow configuration of the system with minimum effort. Where possible, standard state of the art technology will be used for the modules to limit costs.
One module that the ShopLab project has developed is an ‘Interactive Mirror'. It was developed for a made to measure shirt shop. This ‘Interactive Mirror' allows a customer to virtually try on shirts whilst choosing a satisfactory configuration for the garment. The system consists of a large plasma display, a camera-based tracking system, and a control unit. Live video images of customers are combined with simulated 3D shirt models, the result being an augmented mirror-like image. In the case of the shirt shop, customers use a small card with a dedicated pattern to control the position of the virtual shirt in relation to their own bodies. The tracking system derives the position of the three-dimensional shirt from the video signal of the camera and displays a live image of the customer and the virtual model of the shirt on the screen. The customer may then turn his or her body within a defined angle range, automatically seeing the shirt displayed in correct perspective on the virtual mirror. The system works in combination with a touch-screen. This allows customers and sales assistants to configure the shirt as required. The process of configuration was kept very simple to ensure ease-of-use even for those with limited computer experience.
A second module was developed for a sports shop. The prototype developed for the sports shop was, by necessity, different from that in the shirt shop. This was because the types of products dealt with, running shoes, produced different requirements from those generated by made-to-measure shirts. Rather than concentrating on product configuration, the primary emphasis of the sports shop prototype was information transfer about technical shoe details between the shop and its customers. Data is provided about recommended use of shoes, type of support provided, durability, level of cushioning, prices, etc. Comparisons between shoes are also available, along with 3D images of the internal construction of the sole. Physically speaking, the prototype consists of a stool and two touch screens. A barcode reader positioned on a footplate recognizes labels stuck to the soles of selected shoes. When a shoe is taken to the system, information about the selected item is automatically shown. The prototype supports the consultation between sales assistants and customers as a natural part of the buying / selling process. For example, the 3D images allow the shops staff to describe the technology used in positions hidden inside the shoe.
Thus far, the concept of hybrid shopping environments developed by the ShopLab project has received positive reactions from potential users. At present, it is unclear whether this is a transient effect that is due to the novelty of the system or if it represents a genuine reflection of significant added value. This issue will be investigated in detail over the coming months. A user-centered design process will be followed throughout the remainder of the project, final results of which will be delivered in the autumn of 2004. |
|
 |
