The idea was to develop a concept of a photo-taking booth/kiosk with enhanced features into a retail outlet environment that will be mobile application enabled. The Fashion/styling industry and social media are the key areas where the client is targeted to serve the customer with different user experiences. This would not only enhance the retail industry customer experience, but it will also allow to an extent to get personalized inputs through social media for the user to get the review and make the selection process with a different arena of experiences. Softnotions saw this requirement as an innovation to the industry, and it also serves as a complete “one-stop-shop” for all service needs to global standards.

Some of the business challenges we faced during the development process were as follows :

• Processing images without compromising the quality of the picture was a challenge since the pictures needed to be shared and uploaded.
• To ensure seamless uploading of images and sharing them on social media, all this had to be done with a single click on the device. This all required an amazing amount of processing through computers, servers.
• Providing the best portable solution to the customer.

The challenge was to apply Softnotions’s years of experience and understanding to bring a new concept through the design and innovation process. Another challenge was to build something that completely new stand-alone retail outlet, albeit different yet one that is fully functional, scalable, and ready for business. The final design needed to reflect the key elements of the client’s core business: fashion styling. The incorporation of these features helped define the outcome of this project. The solution provided by Softnotions employed a unique design approach that captures the essence of what the client does and how it does it in a way that is completely new, yet familiar.

• Photo booth application: The Photobooth referred to here is the Kiosk application. This will be located in the retail clothing environment which is enabled with a Kinect Camera and shall have the specification as mentioned in the requirement document. This application will allow users to merge their pictures against backgrounds and push these images to social media and email. It communicates with the server using web services.

• Smart Phone App: This refers to the smartphone application; we planned to develop as a part of this project, which shall be an integral part of the solution. The Mobile application includes android and iPhone applications. It uses the communication used by the kiosk application. From here, the user can take any merged images from their gallery and share them on social media or email.

• Website: This refers to the Web portal application that encapsulates all the information required for this project, and it serves beyond a website.

• The purpose behind having an Android application was to allow users to access account information and a gallery of pictures such as merged pictures. This allows users to manage their profiles at any time, anywhere.
• The mobile application for Android operating systems will have the following major functionalities:
• Allow Customers to create private/public backgrounds.
• Allow Customers to manage their booth photos.
• Allow users to rate their images.
• Allow Customers to push their photos to Social Media sites.
• Allow users to create their love list of the pictures.

This application has a lot of advantages for retailers, manufacturers, and customers. It will help the retailers and manufacturers save money. They will not have to hire a salesperson that is required for customer relationship management and customer service. Customers can save items from trying them on just as a dress in a photo booth would, but see how they would look on them. This application provides cost savings that can be passed on to consumers through lower prices. This also allows customers to try out something without actually purchasing it. This also helps brands build their brands by allowing customers to share their experiences with the brand with others.

The Photo Booth application changes the way customers shop in the retail clothing industry. The application allows users to eliminate their dressing room background and place them onto any of the standard backgrounds provided in the system. It also allows users to share their pictures on social media or email. We have developed a mobile application for android operating systems. This android application will have all the above-mentioned functionalities along with some added benefits.