At the beginning of the year, we introduced a big step forward in mobile augmented reality development - the Layar Player. This easy-to-use SDK allows those with a basic understanding of iPhone development to add fully-functional Layar AR into their very own apps by simply copying and pasting some code. Now layers don’t need to live within the Layar app itself, but can exist as their own app specially tailored to a specific purpose and experience.

Since then we’ve continued to expand our platform and enhance the functionality of Layar, and so it’s time to bring some of these improvements to the Layar Player.

The release of Layar 5.0 in April introduced several new features that help make augmented reality more interactive and social. These improvements are important for augmented reality as a whole because it helps the technology become more user-friendly. Now, with our latest iteration of the Layar Player SDK, developers can incorporate new Layar 5.0 features, including animation, into their own apps.

We still receive questions about the new functionality of Layar 5.0, so we wanted to use this opportunity to take an in-depth look at how developers can best take advantage of the Layar platform.

To show how current layers are using these features, we will showcase these features in the context of how one in particular - the Conquar game layer - has utilized them.

Social Sharing

With Layar 5.0, users can now connect with their friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. A few simple authentications and Layar users can begin sharing all kinds of Layar content with the world. Users can even connect their Layar account with Facebook and Twitter, allowing them to log in with these networks.

When browsing layers in the catalogue, users can quickly share a layer in their Twitter feed or on their Facebook wall. Users also have the option to simply email details of a layer to their contacts, or to copy a short-link to the layer for any other social use.

Inside of a layer, clicking on a spot or POI will allow users to share that point on their social networks. As with layers, a personalized tweet-style message can be added to the item when it is shared, allowing users to add their personal touch.

With Conquar - a massively multiplayer AR game of territorial control - users can “attack” spots belonging to enemy teams in order to challenge that zone’s control. As they do so, they can also share their actions with Facebook and Twitter, encouraging others to join the fight. Screenshots can also be grabbed from directly within the layer and shared just as easily.

For users, these sharing capabilities enhance the interactivity of layers by allowing them to display their exploits to the world. It also attracts others to begin using these layers, creating buzz and generating growth of usage and content of a particular layer.

For developers, social sharing makes it possible to harness the viral nature of the social web in promoting content online. By encouraging users to share layers and content, developers can quickly and easily get their name out to public and to people who might be interested in using their layers.

Developers themselves can also promote their own layers by using the sharing functionality built directly into Layar. It is also possible to grab the data being shared, like screenshots, and aggregate it on a third-party website, creating a portal for your layer’s users to save, comment, rate, and explore items they’ve shared.

Animation

Another key component of Layar 5.0 is the inclusion of animation. Previously, 3D and 2D objects within layers were relegated to a life of paralysis. They simply sat in their position in the real world, limiting their ability to catch your eye and encourage interaction.

Now, however, any object in layer can come alive with animation. When spots appear in your vision as you experience the world through augmented reality, they can now drop into the screen, or grow in size or spin around. It’s a small change, but it goes a long way for creating a smooth blend between the real and digital worlds.

Users can also trigger animations by interacting with objects on the screen. Icons and 3D models - which can already have their own inherent animation by default - can be triggered to perform a secondary animation (such as growing, moving, rotating, etc.) as well. Additional attributes can be programmed into animations, such as changing speeds or positions over time.

These animation features have been intelligently incorporated into the Conquar game layer. The game shows icons representing locations to be conquered, and these icons grow in size when you focus on one. It’s almost as if the enemy icon is bearing down on your location, prompting you to attack it! It is also far easier to determine which icon you are currently viewing in the bottom info bar. Upon clicking one of the icons, it will spin in a slow circle as you view its info.

Putting it all together…

We’ve put together a video that sums up all of the great features of Layar 5.0, including the implementation in the Conquar game layer. You can see that video embedded below.

Developers can use these new features to create engaging and interactive augmented reality experiences for users on the Layar platform, but if you’d rather host your own app, the updated Layar Player SDK lets you do just that.

For more information and to download the SDK, visit our Layar Player page.

Just recently we released our latest iteration, version 5.0, of the Layar Reality Browser. This version introduced a few new features to the browser, including social sharing and 3D animation effects, but also included many improvements to the overall look-and-feel of the app itself, namely, a simpler navigation and a cleaner look.

These changes aren’t pulled from a hat; here at Layar, we conduct surveys and tests with our users in order to create the best experience for them. Chiefly responsible for these tests is our user research lead and interaction (UX) designer Klasien van de Zandschulp, who you may remember from our profile of her last December.

Klasien conducted several user tests prior to the 5.0 launch. Before features were built into a working beta version of the app, clickable PDFs were created for testing using an iPad or an iPhone. While the users in these cases were merely clicking through rough sketches of interface ideas, the information gathered was invaluable to the overall production of the app.

“In user tests, the most important thing is to have the user feel comfortable,” she says. “It’s important not to have the person feel like you are testing their knowledge or skills. You are testing if the design and flow of the app are clear for the end-user.”

The focus of a test is usually about usability issues, like the meaning of an icon, the logic behind the navigation or whether the user is able to find what they want in the least number of steps possible. Other results we collect during the user tests include the user’s mobile device usage habits, their sharing and discovery habits and what they feel is missing from the app.

We have found user testing to be invaluable to the process of developing iterations of the Layar platform and apps. Klasien believes that it’s very important for a UX designer to be involved in the usability test in order to experience how the end-user responds to, and interacts with, the design. Going forward, we plan to conduct more tests in different environments and situations, including outdoor tests.

Participate in a user test
We are always looking for people who want to attend a user test! If you are interested, please send an e-mail to users@layar.com.

Join Layar’s User Panel
Now you can help us create an even better Augmented Reality app! We created the Layar User Panel because we want your opinions and feedback. Participation in the User Panel includes responding to occasional online surveys and being among the first people to test the latest beta version of our Layar app. Fill out our user panel application form to join!

Last week, we opened up a beta release of Layar 5.0 for Android featuring new sharing and animation capabilities (as well as a few other handy improvements). We were very excited to get this version of the Layar client in the hands of developers to see what wonderful things they could come up with using these new features, and already we’re seeing some great stuff.

Developer and former Layar intern Anthony Maës just recently put together a nice looking layer that shows off the new animation functionality. If you’re running the beta on your Android device, search for “Ferris Wheel” and check out Anthony’s work. Or just watch this YouTube video:

The layer features a 3D model of a spinning ferris wheel with balloons floating around it as carnival music plays in the background. It’s a terrific example of some of the possibilities that Layar 5.0 will introduce for developers.

Anthony created the ferris wheel with two separate 3D models; the wheel and the supports. Being careful about how he designed the models allowed him to use Layar 5.0’s rotation attributes to simulate a spinning ferris wheel. To hear more from Anthony and see the source code, check out his post on the Layar Developer Support Forum.

As another example of animation in Layar 5.0, the ARcade layer has updated its 3D icons to include animation as well. Now the game’s tokens spin in the air and those ever familiar PacMan ghosts have shifty eyes.

If you’re running the beta client, have a look at these layers and let us know when you find other great examples of 5.0 features in the wild!