Exploring the effectiveness of an augmented reality dressing room

In this paper, we describe our experience with the design of an augmented reality dressing room in which 3D models of a dress are overlaid with a color image from a camera to provide the function of a sort of virtual mirror. In such a way, the customer can move around to understand if a dress suits and fits them well. The project is implemented in Unity 4 Pro in combination with the Microsoft Kinect 2 for the tracking process. Design issues and technical implementation as well as the prospects for further development of the techniques are discussed. To assess the validity of our proposal, we have conducted a user study using 47 participants with different levels of experience with video games and devices used to play them. The empirical method used is qualitative. To this end, we used questionnaire-based surveys. The obtained results suggest that our solution represents a viable means to simulate dressing rooms, and participants in the study found the interaction with our 3D models to be natural for understanding if a dress suits and fits them well. Overall, the participants found our application very useful from a practical point of view.