Studying interaction density in co-design sessions involving spatial augmented reality

Abstract

The participation of end-users in co-design sessions has always been challenging. Despite a long history of trials and research, finding the best way to go about this form of collaboration in early innovation phases is still an open question for many companies. At the cutting edge of innovation, design agencies are becoming increasingly involved in co-design today. Direct face-to-face collaboration with end-users is a key factor for the success of codesign, and ICT solutions must therefore allow active involvement of all participants and their direct interaction. This paper reports an original evaluation of a Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) environment dedicated to supporting co-design sessions. It investigates collaborative interactions and explores the role of design artefacts in the collaborative process. Observations of a conventional co-design situation are compared with those of sessions assisted by SAR technology. These two contrasting environments reveal both similarities and differences. The results show that within the SAR-supported environment there is an increase in end-users' interaction density within the design activities. We observed that providing tangible artefacts augmented by digital content increased the density of interactions and encouraged greater sharing in co-design meetings.

Investigating the effects of spatial augmented reality on user participation in co-design sessions: A case study

“…-This technology also provides good collaborative tools for evaluation phases between designers and other stakeholders that tend to reduce design iterations and allows the early identification of design errors and defects. (Porter et al, 2010), (Marner et al, 2011), (Irlitti and von Itzstein, 2013), (O'Hare et al, 2018) -Some studies also showed that the technology improves shared understanding and reduces the communication and language barriers (Verlinden, 2012), (Ben Guefrech et al, 2022).…”

“…We are now going to look at this particular aspect. (O'Hare et al, 2018) and (Ben Guefrech et al, 2022) carried out studies highlighting the benefits of SAR systems to support design activities. The first assessed the impact of SAR technology on the novelty and quality of ideas generated compared with traditional design situations.…”

“…After some preliminary usability and performance studies (Ben Guefrech et al, 2022), the project provided the opportunity to use this environment for a deeper analysis of the effect of SAR on multimodal co-design activity. Before getting more into details, we look at the cognitive aspects of design collaboration and the role of gestures in co-design.…”

Applications of augmented reality technology in design process

“…By applying virtual roaming technology in architectural design, it can present a threedimensional simulation of urban landscapes, residential landscapes, interior design, and historical buildings. (6) Ben Guefrech, for his part, (18) posits that user participation in collaborative design sessions has always been a challenge. Despite research, finding a suitable way to implement co-design in the early stages of innovation remains problematic.…”