Comparing Desktop vs. Mobile Interaction for the Creation of Pervasive Augmented Reality Experiences

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Augmented Reality

Background:

• Pervasive Augmented Reality (AR) enhances real-world environments with digital information but faces adoption barriers due to complexity.
• Authoring tools are crucial for simplifying the development and configuration of continuous, context-aware AR experiences.
• Current methods often require significant time and technical expertise, limiting widespread use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare interaction methods for configuring and visualizing pervasive AR experiences.
• To assess the usability of desktop and mobile platforms for AR experience development.
• To identify the strengths and weaknesses of each platform for AR content creation.

Main Methods:

• Developed an experimental tool utilizing 3D scans for desktop (digital replica) and mobile (positional tracking) AR platforms.
• Implemented authoring capabilities for placing virtual content and configuring AR experiences on both platforms.
• Conducted a user study to compare the usability of the desktop and mobile authoring interfaces.

Main Results:

• The mobile AR interface was generally perceived as more intuitive by users.
• The desktop platform demonstrated advantages in remote configuration, reduced user effort, and superior scalability.
• Both platforms enabled the placement of virtual content and the configuration of AR experiences.

Conclusions:

• Desktop platforms show significant potential for scalable and efficient AR experience authoring, particularly for remote configuration.
• While mobile AR offers intuitive interaction, desktop solutions may be more practical for complex or large-scale AR development.
• Further research can optimize interaction methods to leverage the strengths of both desktop and mobile AR authoring environments.