Launching v1.3 of DreamzAR App
I recently launched the DreamzAR app v1.3 on April 9, 2022. As you noticed, it wasn’t even 9 days since v1.2 was launched. Why did I rush to get v1.3 out?
TL;DR; Customer Experience wasn’t top-notch! DreamzAR v1.3 addressed many of the issues observed.
What happened?
I’ve been listening to customer feedback on all possible channels and there were a few things that came out to be interesting problems I must solve to ensure customers are happy with the DreamzAR experience. In this blog, I’ll discuss some of those issues I observed, and the fixes made to make DreamzAR app more robust than ever.
My goal is to give my customers the best possible experience they can have with DreamzAR. Anything that falls short to keep that promise, I must rush and make it right. I’m here to serve my customers.
Here are the problems I had accumulated through intial launch (v1.0) through v1.2.
The application bundle got too big
As I added more 3D models of Plants in v1.2, my application file size got bloated to 800MB from the previous 500MB. 500 MB itself is on the higher side for an app, but then 800 MB is just not acceptable.
The app packages 3D models of plants, shrubs, garden features, high-quality texture images, and hence the large size of the bundle.
I looked at the individual 3D models, used Blender to reduce the polygon count (decimate tool), applied proper “normal” textures, and corrected the texture intensities for every model to ensure the visual appeal of the 3D model is not compromised even though polygon count is reduced. This produced superb savings of more than 50%, and it was the single most effective way to drop the total bundle size to under 400MB.
The work is not fully done yet. I need to figure out a better solution to reduce the overall bundle size and scale the catalog. I’ve some ideas, but more on to it in later blogs.
The value of the in-app purchase isn’t clear
Few customers reached out over email to me asking about the number and kind of plant models available in the catalog. They didn’t know what was offered in the paid version. It means the app isn’t telling them clearly what would they get when they make an in-app purchase.
I launched v1.1 as a free-to-download app but offers an in-app purchase if users find the free version useful. This is really important as my users want to try the basic capabilities of the app, and then decide if they want to really invest in the app further. This is a good try-before-you-buy option.
But when I introduced the option for in-app purchase, I merely included a single note in the app “Unlock the entire catalog of plants, ground covers, and garden features.” for the purchase price. That’s it. No explanation of what is exactly included in this catalog, how many assets, what features are free, and what features are paid.
Users wanted to know what they are getting when they tap “Purchase” and the app didn’t communicate enough.
Now, I’ve made a change to clearly identify everything that they will get with in-app purchases. For instance, I should have communicated well enough that once they purchase, they get unlimited access to existing features and the entire asset catalog of 36 plants, 50 paver/lawn/mulch ground covers, and 12 garden features like a pergola, bench, and fences.
So I included a page with all the details:
Not everybody is familiar with Augmented Reality technology
DreamzAR App expects users to be familiar with using augmented reality. It means, in real-time, users need to hold their phone, while walking around in the front, side, or back yard of their home and work on landscape design. The app wasn’t doing a good job setting the expectations.
Even if I introduced onboarding wizard in v1.2, it’s not clear that it requires users to learn a bit about using augmented reality technology on iPhones or iPad. Although the app uses Apple’s default coaching overlay which orients users to the ways of augmented reality, it's not enough to tell users how this tech is used for landscape design. There are new concepts to be introduced.
I created a step-by-step tutorial to go over every feature of the app. I made the tutorial accessible on the main page so that users can familiarize themselves with how augmented reality is used in DreamzAR.
DreamzAR v1.3 is now on Apple App Store.
I’m confident these updates will make DIY Landscape Design more delightful. So, go ahead and give it a spin and tell me about your experience about using DreamzAR’s latest version.
Landscape Design with Augmented Reality is a new concept but it’s definitely more fun. All you need is iPhone or iPad and your creativity.
Don’t just imagine your home’s outdoor space, visualize it with DreamzAR, and turn your dreams into a reality.
Download DreamzAR App today on Apple App Store.
