Bringing immersive design to the high street

Retail therapy could soon feel very different thanks to a new De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) partnership with design and manufacture agency we.are.sdi. as they are bringing immersive mixed-reality design to the high street.

we.are.sdi, which is based near Loughborough, partners with blue chip brands and retailers to design retail environments, that customers love to spend time in.  

A new Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with DMU will help them accelerate the use of augmented and virtual reality tools, giving their clients and customers omni-channel immersive retail environments. 

The two-year project, worth more than £200,000, will embed DMU expertise in AR/VR and mixed reality design into we.are.sdi’s 186-strong design team.

It involves developing new virtual prototyping and immersive design workflows for we.are.sdi’s clients which include Boots, M&S, Tesco, Milwaukee and many more.

 

Inside the spa at Harrods, designed by the team at we.are.sdi

The partnership will:

• Introduce mixed-reality virtual prototyping so customers can see store concepts in real time before manufacturing.

• Upskill the all teams in advanced digital tools with eye-tracking-enabled VR headsets.
• Capture and analyse consumer behaviour data to inform new services and refine customer experiences.
• Reduce waste and carbon footprints by cutting down on physical prototypes and less international travel, aligning with UN Sustainable Development Goals on sustainable production.

KTPs see universities work with a business to solve a challenge using academic expertise. Part-funded by Innovate UK, the partnership will see the business employ at KTP Associate, normally a postgraduate student, who is embedded within the business throughout the project.

Stuart McMurray, Creative Director, said: "It’s going to be an exciting 2 years. Partnerships are a fantastic way to share information and improve learning, and everyone will gain from the experience. Collaboration between DMU’s academics, and our studio team will really push projects boundaries and have a great impact for our customers."

        

The team has had commissions from Kurt Geiger and Heal's to create spaces customers love

DMU’s expertise comes from Professor Tracy Harwood, Professor of Digital Culture and Interior Design senior lecturer Brian Wealthall, who will oversee the associate’s work.

Professor Harwood said: “DMU has a strong track record of delivering high impact KTPs over many years, working with research teams and local businesses. This is an excellent opportunity for a graduate to embed contemporary knowledge generated from our createch research into we.are.sdi - a leading local retail design company - using state of the art 3D practices."

Mr Wealthall added: “This offers tremendously exciting possibilities to explore and integrate the immersive digital technologies of VR, AR and AI and develop knowledge and skills for the design students of tomorrow."

The KTP forms part of we.are.sdi’s strategic plan to position itself as a sector leader in immersive retail environments. For DMU, it will generate new research opportunities in experiential retail and mixed-reality design, contribute to future REF impact case studies, and feed directly into postgraduate courses such as MA Interior Design, MA Digital Design and Game Art, and a planned new MA in Immersive Environments.