Virtual IKEA Georgia Institute of Technology M.S. Digital Media Project:
This project was in fulfillment of my Masters degree in Digital Media. The aim of the project was to enable IKEA shoppers to "find their style" much as they might browsing in a brick and mortar showroom, then customize that browsing experience. I conducted formative user studies to understand how people shop IKEA and considered how consumer technology trends are changing our expectations of online retail channels.
In particular, I examined how established eCommerce interaction frameworks might be translated as users increasingly inhabit the web in 3D information spaces
The solution I developed is a system that bridges 2D and 3D information environments and uses real-time 3D as a means to alter and customize the presentation of 2D information. In recognition of the multichannel retail strategy, a consumers choices and activity in a virtual shopping experience can provide important information for their real world shopping experiences. My project encourages the cross-over between virtual and real-world experiences enabling consumer to browse and customize goods and personal architectural spaces, then share those efforts with others, purchase products or print localized shopping lists for in-person browsing.
