Countertop responsive mirror: supporting physical retail shopping for sellers, buyers and companions

We examine opportunities for ubiquitous technologies in retail jewelry shopping to supplement the unique information needs inherent to physical trials of tactile products.  We describe an iterative design approach to develop a mirror system that records and matches images across jewelry trials called the Countertop Responsive Mirror.  The key technological distinction of our system from prior technologies is the use of “matched access,” which automatically retrieves images that match a scene shown in separately accessed images.  This not only helps shoppers compare jewelry but also promotes interactions among all parties during shopping.  We report qualitative findings from multiple field trials of the system.  This paper contributes to a body of research on the design and introduction of new technologies into retail shopping that provide value to all users without disruption to their normative practices and behaviors.