design:retail - September 2016 - 38

perspectives 038 Brain Waves I JEAN-PIERRE LACROIX PRESIDENT SHIKATANI LACROIX "I see a major shift occurring where the lines of reality and mixed reality coexist, allowing N AN EFFORT to create a pleasing retail environment before it is even built, Toronto-based design agency Shikatani Lacroix has partnered with Canadian neuromarketing research firm True Impact to develop a virtual/augmented reality application that could revolutionize retail and packaging design. design:retail spoke with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, president of Shikatani Lacroix, to find out what this technology is, and how it could affect retail design in the future. a whole new palette for designers, advertisers and architects." design:retail: What augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology does Shikatani Lacroix already offer, and what is it used for? Lacroix: Our firm has pioneered VR projects for the past 20 years. Until last year, 3-D virtual walkthrough renderings were the main platform we used to present concepts. Since the inception of new immersive technologies using AR and VR, we now offer VR animated walk-throughs and use AR technology as part of our internal design process to help better visualize complex projects. Both have been expanded to include neuroscience research to validate and gain insight. d:r: What is True Impact adding to your offer? Lacroix: True Impact brings credibility to the research with its established knowledge of how to use neuroscience tools to accurately interpret information on how consumers feel about branded experiences. d:r: What equipment is involved for this type of research and testing? Lacroix: We combined a Samsung Gear VR or a Microsoft HoloLens headset with an academicgrade electroenchephalogram (EEG) to measure the brain's electrical signals in order to gain insight into the subjects' emotional responses to SEPTEMBER 2016 DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM - JEAN PIERRE LACROIX the virtual- or mixed-reality environments they were viewing. d:r: How do you measure emotions? Lacroix: Neuroscience uses specialized equipment to measure electrical signals and patterns in the brain and then captures the live data to a computer, which is then used to create several different kinds of visualizations. It is then up to the neuroscience specialist to analyze the considerable amount of data to derive insights from the test subject's emotional states relating to attention, engagement and motivation. When coupled with eye-tracking technology, we can pinpoint exactly what triggered the emotional response. d:r: What type of retail environments are you currently testing? Lacroix: We recently completed a beta study for a Chinese bank where we tested a new virtual concept. We are planning to continue the process by testing the final branch environment after it opens in the fall. We will be researching both the virtual model and the final product to gain further insights on the accuracy and reliability of this new platform. I am sure we are going to learn more about how to better leverage this technology. challenged by collapsing deadlines and fragmented channels of distribution. As such, VR design concepts that are validated through conventional and neuroscience research allow us to narrow the gap between risk and reward for our clients. I believe this will allow designers to expand their creativity while providing clients with more disruptive, groundbreaking design solutions. d:r: Do you think this kind of technology will hurt the creative process in the future? Lacroix: It is not uncommon to hear designers mention research tends to kill great ideas. Traditional validation processes supported by neuroscience research will allow for a more effective iterative design process and the ability to better understand what truly motivates consumers. I see these emerging, virtual tools supported by scientific research being added to a designer's arsenal, and creating better ways of validating the concepts. d:r: Where do you think this kind of technology will go from here? Lacroix: I see a major shift occurring where the lines of reality and mixed reality coexist, allowing a whole new palette for designers, advertisers and architects. No longer will you be hindered by the confines of the laws of gravity or the complexity of building objects in real environments. Virtual worlds will appear as augmented reality places that did not exist before, providing new venues for creativity and design. JEAN-PIERRE LACROIX IS PRESIDENT OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY d:r: How does this technology benefit designers? Lacroix: As designers, we are constantly challenging the boundaries of our client's comfort level to arrive at solutions that minimize risk while ensuring breakthrough solutions. Today, we also are GLOBALSHOP.ORG BRANDING AND DESIGN FIRM SHIKATANI LACROIX. SINCE ESTABLISHING SHIKATANI LACROIX MORE THAN 25 YEARS AGO, HE HAS GROWN THE COMPANY INTO ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED AND SOUGHT-AFTER STRATEGIC DESIGN AGENCIES IN THE WORLD. http://www.DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM http://www.GLOBALSHOP.ORG

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