Developing Retail Applications on the Microsoft Surface

I had the opportunity to spend time with several members of the Microsoft Surface team in preparation for developing retail applications on the Surface for a client that must go undisclosed at the moment.

The Microsoft Surface gives interaction designers four tenants to create the user experience:

1. Natural user interface: Imagine an interactive experience that can start anywhere (without predefined user navigation like kiosks or web navigation)
2. Multi-touch: Well beyond a “swipe,” the Surface incorporates multiple gestures and multiple touches at once
3. Multi-user: Multiple users can interact with the Surface at once, making collaboration and social networking a possible part of the experience
4. Object recognition: Lay an object on the Surface and make it part of the experience

Immediately the mind starts reeling with ideas for applications. In order to deliver a compelling customer experience and maximize the return on investment, ask the following questions to focus and evaluate your ideas:

How can you use the Surface to improve the in-store customer experience in a way that:

• Simplifies and/or accelerates the consumer's buying process
• Increases the value of each sale
• Surprises and delights the store guest
• Is additive to the current shopping experience
• Offers a deeper brand experience
• Makes the brand values palpable

How can you use the Surface to extend the customer experience beyond the store?

How can you use the Surface to increase store traffic and/or word of mouth?

How can you extend or expand current retail store marketing iniatitives with the Surface?

Is there any application you can deliver on the Surface using the client’s products that demonstrate how the product works that is not currently possible to demonstrate in the store?

Are there logical content partners that may want to pay for ‘space’ on the Surface that add value to the brand or experience?

When and where can the Surface be the store when a physical store doesn’t exist?

With all the ideas and issues on the table, you can look at how you blend the virtual and physical experience to affect your consumers’ behavior in the shopping experience and impact their beliefs about your brand.