Augmented Reality and an Inside-Object-View Concept : A Usability Evaluation

Abstract: This thesis presents a usability evaluation of a non conventional way to visualize virtual objects in Augmented Reality (AR). The virtual objects consists of a window that can be placed on a real surface and then opened to view a virtual room containing some virtual objects. This concept was applied to a smartphone application created and designed to evaluate the usability of the concept. The usability was evaluated with user testing methods designed to gather information about the interaction and the perception of handheld Augmented Reality (HAR) applications. The usefulness of the concept was also evaluated by designing the application to be intended for entertainment and then evaluating the users interest for such an application. Design guidelines and design patterns created for HAR applications was followed when designing the application. The results of this project has shown that the concept is easy to both comprehend and interact with. This applies to users with previous smartphone experience but not much experience with AR. The results has also shown that smartphone users find an interest in using an application of this type. An application designed for entertainment and with the described concept. The purpose of evaluating this concept has been to verify its usefulness to promote its use in AR applications. This would create a variety in the visualization of virtual objects in AR. It would also open up for new opportunities in the use of AR.