Leading VR for business firm, Yulio Technologies, today announced the launch of ‘VR heat map analytics’, a new technology for those within the fields of architecture, design and retail, that delivers a detailed heat map of where viewers are paying attention in created VR experiences.
Unlike traditional heat mapping which is achieved with mouse movement, and assumes users are tracking their interest with a mouse, VR heat mapping tracks their gaze. Since VR gives users the power to explore a 360 degree image however they choose, understanding their interaction with it through detailed heat map data provides key insights into audience behavior. This can be used by VR creators to better understand best practices as well as for marketing and sales teams to understand what elements drew most focus.
Within design, architecture and retail, firms will be able to understand what catches a viewer’s attention, and whether or not that’s a good thing. Site lines and branding can be tested long before construction is underway by mapping what draws user attention inside the headset. Heat maps will also add context to comments and feedback – when clients raise concern that the ‘red thing in the corner’ looks odd to them, creators have greater understanding of just what they were looking at. For retailers, the technology promises a way to inexpensively and accurately test store traffic flow patterns as well as the effectiveness of displays.
Used by architects, interior designers, construction firms, real estate professionals and retailers, Yulio’s technology also enables the near-instant creation of rich, detailed and immersive VR experiences (VREs) from 2D designs created with any of the leading computer aided design programs; Sketchup, Revit, 3DS Max, etc. Created VREs can then be shared easily via a web link and toured and collaborated on in real time via Yulio’s cloud-based collaboration platform. The heat map analytics are available to all Yulio platforms.
In a full VR experience, marketers can also follow the path of what drew the eye around the room and make adjustments if the wrong thing is capturing too much attention.