Wearable mobile augmented reality: evaluating outdoor user experience.

ABSTRACTAugmented Reality (AR) technologies offer the potential to aid users in a number of professional areas. However, to date, most studies have been tested in controlled laboratory conditions. This paper outlines a user experience study of a wearable mobile augmented reality system in an outdoor urban environment. We describe the use case of using a see-through monocular head-mounted display (HMD) with augmented imagery for orientation, and the use of gesture input for interacting with information while on-the-move. Participants had to navigate to a target location, whilst receiving information updates, and complete a series of gesture-based tasks. Despite participants managing to complete the tasks after some assistance, it was found that more improvements to the user experience are required for it to be viable in outdoor-use. In particular, better visibility, when see-through HMDs are used in a bright environment, and improved situation awareness. This paper further highlights the difficulties in using gesture input, and points to a number of areas requiring further research into the use of wearable mobile AR systems in the context of this work.