So those 3 years of study bring me to this 4th year, which has writing a thesis as the pinnacle. The co-operation with research faculty EDM was a very inspiring experience, and I really got the hang of the academic research industry. This proved to be a good preparation for my thesis. While I was checking dissertations from graduating students, a certain technology caught my attention: Augmented Reality. I had seen some nifty projects featuring AR. So while working at Bivolino, both ‘AR’ and ‘configurator’ crossed my mind. That’s how I ended up researching the possibilities of a digital configurator. The physical aspect came only after I explored the theory of ubiquitous computing.
But what exactly is it what I’m researching? To put it brief, I’m researching how the possibilities of a digital product configurator can enhance the experience in a physical shopping environment. A digital configurator, like the ones that can be found on most car constructor’s sites, adds a lot of options and possibilities in terms of customization for the customer. Integrated in a solid business model, a company can exploit this configurator to implement a mass customization production flow in their business model.
With the uprise of ubiquitous computing, I believe that technology will become more prominent in our daily lives. Since the traditional desktop systems will start to fade away out of our daily live, hidden computing will take over. Digital applications will start to blend in our environments, and I am researching how this will happen in physical stores, in terms of product customization and advertising.
