Co-design of augmented reality book for collaborative learning experience in primary education

Through co-design of Augmented Reality (AR) based teaching material, this research aims to enhance collaborative learning experience in primary school education. It will introduce an interactive AR Book based on primary school textbook using tablets as the real time interface. The development of this AR Book employs co-design methods to involve children, teachers, educators and HCI experts from the early stages of the design process. Research insights from the co-design phase will be implemented in the AR Book design. The final outcome of the AR Book will be evaluated in the classroom to explore its effect on the collaborative experience of primary school students. The research aims to answer the question - Can Augmented Books be designed for primary school students in order to support collaboration? This main research question is divided into two sub-questions as follows - How can co-design methods be applied in designing Augmented Book with and for primary school children? And what is the effect of the proposed Augmented Book on primary school students' collaboration? This research will not only present a practical application of co-designing AR Book for and with primary school children, it will also clarify the benefit of AR for education in terms of collaborative experience

Co-design of augmented reality textbook for children’s collaborative learning experience in primary schools

Augmented Reality (AR) is a recent technology that allows a seamless composition between virtual objects and the real world. This practice-based research uses the affordances of AR to design an AR textbook for collaborative learning experience. It identifies the key concepts of children s AR textbooks for the designing and evaluation of collaborative learning experiences. These concepts were used to develop a conceptual framework for the AR textbook that considers collaborative experience, learning and usability. Informed by these concepts, the research also has identified the design features which are unique to AR affordances which can be integrated in the school textbooks to develop a collaborative AR textbook for primary school children. The research follows a participatory design approach to involve the users of the AR textbook in the design process. The researcher has conducted three co-design studies involving primary school children and adults using cooperative inquiry techniques. The first study uses low-tech prototyping to find the overall direction of designing the AR textbook. After the development of the first AR textbook prototype, two formative evaluations have been conducted using cooperative inquiry critiquing, and layered elaboration techniques. Throughout these studies, a conceptual framework has been developed namely, Experience, Learn and Use (ELU) for the designing and evaluation of children s AR textbooks for collaborative learning experience. This framework is based on the adaption of Janet Read s Play, Learn, Use (PLU) model that defines children s relationships with the interactive technologies. The research proposes the ELU framework as a useful classification framework in the evaluation process, which informs the design features of the AR textbook which are related to the concepts of collaborative experience, learning and usability. The practical component of the thesis proposes a sample of an AR textbook that is integrated in the regular school curriculum. It demonstrates the design features which can be implemented in other textbooks to support collaborative learning experiences for primary school children. The documentation of the co-design process provides a practical framework for co-designing an AR textbook with children, as well as an evidence of using the ELU framework in practice. 4 This research also contributes in bridging the gap between AR and Child-Computer Interaction (CCI) communities, through the use of common CCI methods in the AR development. This research has resulted in key design principles which contribute original knowledge to the literature of the AR for children s education considering the CCI perspective. These important principles are informed by the collaborative experiences, learning and usability aspects that establish a framework for the design and evaluation of collaborative AR textbook for children. The eight identified principles by this research are, Joint Textbooks, Personalised AR Experience, Interactive AR Book, Communication-Based Learning, Rewarding AR feedback, Audio AR Textbook, Intuitive AR Markers, and Mutual AR Display. The research introduces the definition for each of the concepts and a demonstration of the related design features in the outcome of the AR textbook prototype

Conceptualizing Interactions of Augmented Reality Solutions

The rapid evolution of augmented reality has resulted in an ever-increasing number of applications in a wide range of industries and services. Despite this progress, there is still a lack of conceptual understanding of AR interactions and the entire solution space. To bridge this gap, we conceptualize AR solution interactions and provide a comprehensive taxonomy. To represent the state-of-the-art, we build upon an extensive literature review. The resulting taxonomy consists of seven dimensions that encompass 29 characteristics. We contribute to the understanding of AR interactions and, as a result, the applicability of AR solutions in businesses by developing the taxonomy. Likewise, the taxonomy can guide the design of AR solutions as it convincingly describes the solution space

Tangible user interfaces : past, present and future directions

In the last two decades, Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have emerged as a new interface type that interlinks the digital and physical worlds. Drawing upon users' knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, TUIs show a potential to enhance the way in which people interact with and leverage digital information. However, TUI research is still in its infancy and extensive research is required in or- der to fully understand the implications of tangible user interfaces, to develop technologies that further bridge the digital and the physical, and to guide TUI design with empirical knowledge. This paper examines the existing body of work on Tangible User In- terfaces. We start by sketching the history of tangible user interfaces, examining the intellectual origins of this field. We then present TUIs in a broader context, survey application domains, and review frame- works and taxonomies. We also discuss conceptual foundations of TUIs including perspectives from cognitive sciences, phycology, and philoso- phy. Methods and technologies for designing, building, and evaluating TUIs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limita- tions of TUIs and chart directions for future research

Toolkits, cards and games–a review of analogue tools for collaborative ideation

Analogue tools offer distinct benefits for collaborative design ideation and can take a variety of tailored forms including card decks, templates, toys and board games. However, owing to the disparate and multidisciplinary sources of these tools, there is currently no easy way to gain a coherent view of the tool landscape. To resolve this, we conducted a survey of analogue ideation tools within the design and HCI literatures, and within commercial practice. Of 3,395 results, 76 met the inclusion criteria. The resulting collection is presented and classified according to 10 descriptors including a novel taxonomy for distinguishing 7 tool types (methods, prompts, components, concepts, stories, embodiment, and construction). We also discuss gaps and opportunities for future tool development in inclusivity, cultural-tailoring and embodiment. Our aim is to help designers and design teams more fluently select, customize, critique, analyse and/or build tools to support collaborative designerly inquiry

User-Centered Evaluation Framework to Support the Interaction Design for Augmented Reality Applications

The advancement of Augmented Reality (AR) technology has been remarkable, enabling the augmentation of user perception with timely information. This progress holds great promise in the field of interaction design. However, the mere advancement of technology is not enough to ensure widespread adoption. The user dimension has been somewhat overlooked in AR research due to a lack of attention to user motivations, needs, usability, and perceived value. The critical aspects of AR technology tend to be overshadowed by the technology itself. To ensure appropriate future assessments, it is necessary to thoroughly examine and categorize all the methods used for AR technology validation. By identifying and classifying these evaluation methods, researchers and practitioners will be better equipped to develop and validate new AR techniques and applications. Therefore, comprehensive and systematic evaluations are critical to the advancement and sustainability of AR technology. This paper presents a theoretical framework derived from a cluster analysis of the most efficient evaluation methods for AR extracted from 399 papers. Evaluation methods were clustered according to the application domains and the human–computer interaction aspects to be investigated. This framework should facilitate rapid development cycles prioritizing user requirements, ultimately leading to groundbreaking interaction methods accessible to a broader audience beyond research and development centers

A Software Engineering Method for the Design of Mixed Reality Systems

International audienceThe domain of Mixed Reality systems is currently making decisive advances on a daily basis. However, the knowledge and know-how of HCI scientists and interaction engineers, used in the design of such systems, is not well understood. This paper addresses this issue by proposing a software engineering method that couples a process for designing Mixed Reality interaction with a process for developing the functional core. Our development method features a Y-shaped development cycle that separates the description of functional requirements and their analysis from the study of technical requirements of the application. These sub-processes produce Business Objects and Interactional Objects, which are connected to produce a complete Mixed Reality system. The whole process is presented via a case study, with a particular emphasis on the design of the interactive solution