Usability evaluation of Augmented Reality systems

Issue title: Multimedia/Multimodal Human-Computer Interaction in Knowledge-based Environments

Guest editors: Maria Virvou and George A. Tsihrintzis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Kostaras, Nektarios^{; *} | Xenos, Michalis

Affiliations: School of Sciences and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Patras, Greece | University of Piraeus, Greece

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. Tel.: +30 2610 367405; Fax: +30 2610 367416; E-mail: nkostaras@eap.gr

Abstract: Augmented Reality is a technological area that has met with significant growth in our times and its applications cover an ever increasing range of everyday life activities. Despite the rapid development of Augmented Reality technology, not much attention has been given to the important aspect of system's interface usability. To date, some of the methods used in the assessment of common software applications are also employed in the limited number of studies regarding the usability assessment of Augmented Reality systems. In this paper, we investigate the issue of usability evaluation of Augmented Reality systems and we discuss the use of the assessment methods currently employed for traditional applications. Furthermore, we present and discuss issues that arise from their employment in the assessment of Augmented Reality systems and possible ways to overcome these issues.

Keywords: Augmented reality, usability evaluation, usability assessment methods

DOI: 10.3233/IDT-2012-0130

Journal: Intelligent Decision Technologies, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 139-149, 2012