Explorations, Featured Explorations, Technology

As I went through my closet yesterday to find all my winter clothes (the season is quickly approaching after all), I found a pair of gloves that I had purchased over the internet.  I had searched all over for these gloves in retails stores nearby, but could not find them anywhere, let alone in the colorway I wanted.  So when I ordered them, I guessed at the sizing as best I could.  While they technically fit, they were a little more snug that I had hoped for unfortunately and I did not want to go through the hassle of sending them.  Seeing these gloves, brought back the ideas that had begun to formulate from the post about the Test Rides Apple App.  As with most things, I have a hard time getting past an idea until I’ve gone through it, and in this case, fleshed it out a bit more.

I began looking at the idea of using the camera of the iPhone to capture not just the sitting position as in the Test Rides app, but also the feet, hands, and to a lesser degree the head (even more areas of the body could be explored, but for now, I’ll focus on the hands and the feet).  An iPhone app, called the Body Fit, that is relatively easy to use, and helps people to purchase more efficiently over the internet, and actually encourages more purchases over the web in general, screams out for potential branding.  A company such as Nike could very easily put together an app that is geared towards only their apparel, and help their users to pick the ‘best fit’ based on the captured data from the Body Fit app.  This application could be updated as new apparel is released, thus maintaining it’s relevance in a very briskly paced environment.  The Body Fit App would not only garner help users to pick comfortable and proper fitting clothing, but would also reflect positively on a company such as Nike, as it shows that they are genuinely concerned about the customer getting the proper fit.  Furthermore, it would show that they, as a company, are embracing the technology that is here now, and putting it to good use.

A Potential UI for Body Fit App

When users access the Body Fit application, they would be asked which area they would like to virtually size, such as the head, feet, or hands and would be taken through a series of steps in order to gather the appropriate data.  At this point, they would be presented with the brand of choice’s ‘best fit’ selection that best matched the data gathered by the Body Fit app with the anthropometric information contained in it’s database.