DaVinci is a Microsoft Surface application that blurs the lines between the physical and virtual world by combining object recognition, real-world physics simulation and gestural interface design.
One of the important design and technology considerations around building direct manipulation interfaces is to ensure virtual objects behave like real-world objects. The real world physics behavior of these objects is a type of visual affordance, which aids in delivering an intuitive user experience – users know what to expect when they manipulate objects in the virtual world when they behave like objects in the real world. The physics engine used in DaVinci is being applied to our other applications to create interfaces which have natural real world physics.
The DaVinci experience could easily be extended to teach Newton’s laws of motion, gravity, friction, orbital motion and other physics concepts in a classroom setting.
We just passed the one year anniversary of the launch of the AT&T Surface Experience – the first public deployment of Microsoft Surface. To celebrate the anniversary, we are posting some behind-the-scenes pictures of the launch.
The teams on launch night consisted of representatives from AT&T, Microsoft and Razorfish. The launch night activities included unpacking and setup of the Surface devices, construction of the fixtures, installation of the Surface application and the deployment of the Surface application content from the centralized content management system. Despite some network glitches and last-minute content changes, the launch was a huge success. Each location opened their doors the following morning to a wave of customers and media.
The Microsoft Surface technology offers such great possibilities. Consider how we solved one of man’s greatest challenges – how to watch multiple NCAA March Madness games simultaneously. These are the wonders of what you can create while working at the office late. Notice how the interface allows us to easily switch between live feeds as the games are in progress. This is just another example of how Microsoft Surface technology can deliver an innovative and engaging customer experience.
A childhood favorite – Table Toss – is transformed using Microsoft Surface technology. Like the old fashioned game, Surface Table Toss involves players taking turns at tossing a bean bag towards a target. However, in this version, the target is a bulls-eye created on a very expensive table (Note: No Surface tables were injured in the making of this game). Scoring is determined by the distance of each bean bag from the center bulls-eye. Each bean bag contains a unique Microsoft Surface tag to associate the score to each player. The combination of a baseball theme and photo-realistic particle effects creates a one-of-a-kind experience on Surface. While this game is fun for the whole family, we do not recommend throwing other items at the table, even if you lose.
Microsoft Surface Financial Services application is a joint development between Microsoft and Razorfish. It is an innovative and engaging solution to present banking products to customers within a rich multi-touch experience. It is the first application to receive the official Surface certification and is now available on the Surface partner community site. Check out the video below for a quick walkthrough of the key features of the application.
The experience is deployed in the lobby of bank branch locations. The application introduces you to the full range of financial products by guiding you through the process of selecting the financial products or life tasks that represent the 360-degree view of your financial world. While waiting for a bank associate, the Surface application can begin the process of education and can provide a rich interactive and engaging experience compared to traditional financial brochures and inserts.
Various bowls of tokens are provided at each Surface table – the tokens are customizable, cheap and easy to produce. The tokens not only drive the experience on Surface through the use of object recognition – they also serve to provide a branding piece that customers will take out of the bank location. The tokens serve as a topic of discussion with friends and family about the Surface experience at the banking location – this makes the experience inherently “social” by encouraging word-of-mouth discussions around the application and the financial services products. The tokens also serve as a reminder to the customer to get in touch with their bank representative – this can be encouraged by providing the bank branch phone numbers on each token.
As the customer interacts with the application, they are guided through the process of building their financial profile from the broad array of financial services products. Once a banking associate is available, they can sit with the customer and begin discussing the products that are of interest to the customer. The application takes advantage of the social aspects of Microsoft Surface by allowing for collaboration between the customer and bank executive through the use of user experience design concepts. Interactive content like videos and financial calculators are provided in the experience with the ability to extend the Surface content through the use of mobile integration and email.
Another benefit of this application is the use of existing bank collateral, like mortgage brochures, which can be easily be tagged and recognized by Surface, to drive an interactive mortgage calculator experience. In addition, direct mail campaigns can integrate into the Surface experience by tagging the individual mailer items. When customers bring in the mailer campaigns, they receive a personalized experience. The integration with direct mail can drive increased traffic into bank branch locations. In addition, direct mail campaign conversions are measurable through the use of tracking and analytics built into the Surface application.
Another important purchasing decision around bank services is determining where bank branch and ATM locations exist within the community. Through the use of an interactive map, customers can be reassured that bank branch and ATM locations exist close to their home and workplace. Locations on the map provide additional information, including the street address and hours-of-operation of each branch.
Stay tuned for a future video regarding the strategy, user experience and technology considerations that went into making the Microsoft Surface Financial Services experience.
Ever wonder what your co-worker three cubes over did last weekend? Our friends at Amnesia Razorfish in Australia made it easy to find out with a Microsoft Surface staff directory application. The application uses Surface tags printed on all Amnesia Razorfish business cards to show extra information about employees such as blog posts, tweets and Flickr photos. Recommended for business purposes only, not for spying on your coworkers.
With an abundance of plan and phone choices, shopping for cell phone service can require a lot of time. However, this award-winning in-store solution streamlines the sales process by enabling customers to make informed decisions around wireless technologies. The solution combines Microsoft Surface technology with an innovative and engaging user interface. It is the first Surface application to be deployed and remains the largest deployment to date (50 tables in 12 stores).
Check out the video walkthrough of the AT&T Retail Surface Experience above. We provide an in-depth walkthrough of the experience and cover some of the environmental, user experience and technology considerations when developing applications for the Microsoft Surface platform.
