Teaching and Designing for Augmented Reality

Teaching and Designing for Augmented Reality Andrzej Zarzycki New Jersey Institute of Technology www.njit.edu [email protected] This paper discusses ways emerging interactive technologies are adopted by designers and extended into areas of design, education, entertainment, and commerce. It looks, in detail, at various project development stages and methodologies used to engage design focused students into, often complex, technological issues. The discussion is contextualized through a number of case studies of mobile and marker-based augmented reality (AR) applications developed by students. These applications include an app for a fashion based social event that allows participants to preview recent collection additions, an info-navigational app for the High Line elevated urban park in New York City, a marker-based maze game, and an interior decorating interface to visualize various furnishing scenarios. While a number of case studies will be discussed from a developer perspective, the primary focus is on the concept and content development, interface design, and user participation. Keywords: Augmented Reality, AR, Gamification, Mobile Culture INTRODUCTION mulated by students as part of an augmented reality Let's pretend you're on your way to Manhattan to buy (AR) project proposal explored ways mobile AR ap- some new clothes. Maybe you're looking to impress plications can enhance the fashion retail experience someone on a date. Maybe you need an outfit to ace by taking advantage of location-aware services and that interview. Maybe you're looking to change your electronic social networks. These applications also style and try something new. Whatever the case may address other, less tangible needs, such as the sense be, you know New York fashion will not disappoint. of social happening and the excitement associated You arrive on 54th Street on Fifth Avenue early in with emerging technologies. the afternoon. There's a ton of different stores in that This paper looks into ways that emerging inter- five-block radius. There's high-end fashion retail and active technologies are being adopted by designers some typical name-brand stores. Some stores aren't in and extended into the areas of tourism, education, your price range, but you might be interested in what entertainment, and commerce. It discusses in de- they have to offer. You're not sure where to shop first. tail the project development stages and methodolo- Decisions, decisions...Luckily, there's an app for that! gies used to engage design-focused students into (students: Philip Caleja, Nick Haby, & Daniel Schittone) often-complex technological issues. The discussion The above excerpt from one of the scenarios for- is contextualized through a number of case studies CAAD Education - Volume 1 - eCAADe 32 | 357 of mobile and marker-based AR applications devel- the form of data overlays providing supplementary oped by students. These applications include an app information for physical objects that are visible with for fashion-based social events that allows partici- the unaided eye, it is also increasingly used to vi- pants to preview recent collection additions, an info- sualize less tangible structures and concepts such navigational app for the High Line elevated urban as historical events, cultural phenomena, and scien- park in New York City, a marker-based maze game, tific processes. This can be seen in a number of re- and an interior decorating interface to visualize vari- search projects and mobile apps that help users to ous furnishing scenarios. learn history and facilitate explorations of urban envi- While a number of case studies are discussed ronments. (Niedmermair, Ferschin, 2011) TimeWarp from a developer perspective touching on technical (Herbst, et al, 2008) a mobile edutainment applica- intricacies, the primary focus is on content develop- tion designed as an AR game situated in Cologne, ment, interface design, and user interaction consid- Germany, focuses on virtual reconstruction of historic erations. The paper also discusses pedagogy, con- buildings by superimposing virtual imagery over cur- cept formation, and broader social and spatial narra- rently existing structures. The application not only tives. shows no-longer-existing buildings as they originally appeared but also visualizes design changes that oc- AUGMENTED REALITY ENVIRONMENTS curred over time to still-present structures. Along the Traditionally, AR environments employed two dis- same lines, the Immersive Experience of Cultural Her- tinct types of data overlay. Marker-based environ- itage project (Kim et al, 2009) uses an AR tour ap- ments employed distinct markers and, more recently, proach to provide tourists with a more realistic expe- images (image targets) to locate virtual data within rience by placing virtual characters within historical the physical world. A second approach associated structures. Visitors to the heritage sites of Sajeong- with mobile AR involved GPS, digital compass, and jeon and Gangnyeongjeon in Korea can use their mo- accelerometer sensors to position users and the vir- bile devices to access additional facts associated with tual content around them. the showcased physical content. While a similar ap- AR-based applications provide an opportunity proach is routinely used by many museums, this par- reconnect and better realign virtual and physical ticular project does not rely on AR markers such as QR worlds through location awareness, enhanced data codes. It implements visual camera tracking of the overlays, and user-focused content. Unlike more rectangular display space to position its virtual actors static forms of digital media, augmented reality, with without a need for visually intrusive markers. its interactive and context-aware functionalities, en- Figure 1 gages users in more direct and meaningful ways. This Augmented Reality is evident not only in academia but also, and perhaps (AR) environment primarily, in commerce and advertising. The interac- as social and design tive print approach popularized by Layar or AR Lego activism and urban models [1] , associated with mainstream toy products games. are successful because they extend the level of consumer engagement. They provide additional information and enticement (enticement) for consumers. The same lessons of consumer engagement are di- rectly applicable to design education and design services. While AR technology is routinely employed in 358 | eCAADe 32 - CAAD Education - Volume 1 Virtual environment allow for explorations of in- CASE STUDIES accessible or not-yet-materialized designs. They can FashNYC be precursors of future physical urban spaces and po- The FashNYC application helps its users make smarter tent drives in their realization. This is the case with AR shopping choices while informing them about the environments (fig.1) developed by Tremont Under- current fashion scene. Through the app, users have ground Theater Space (TUTS) initiative [2]. This initia- access to online videos from each store's current col- tive is using AR gaming media not only to popularize lection, watch interviews with designers, and access ideas of the adaptive reuse of the abandoned pub- garment information including sizes, colors, materi- lic infrastructure but also to build social constituency als, prices, and availability. The app is geared to- and connect with general public (fig.2) The shifting ward those interested primarily in high-end fashion focus from virtual-reality (VR) environments toward designers. FashNYC brings awareness to the fashion mixed-reality and AR frameworks indicates the reex- industry, connects with seasonal events, creates an amination of earlier visions of separated physical and exciting new shopping experience, and establishes digital worlds. The emerging picture fuses both di- a presence in today's heightened mobile application mensions into a single continuum. culture. The app was developed for the Layar AR browser Figure 2 using PHP programming and MySQL as a database. Mystery Spaces, a The student team focused not only on creation of in- map with POIs dividual assets and associated Web pages (fig.3) but arranged in the also on the overall packaging, user experience (fig.4), form of the game and final layout for the navigational map (fig.5). Since play. the seamless connectivity to various social networks and fashion-based websites was key here, the app user interface became a critical part of the overall ef- fort. Figure 3 Virtual changing room with FashNYC The newfound physical context adopted by AR games encourages players to push the boundaries of social conventions and accepted public behavior. Unlike more passive forms of entertainment such as reality TV or even active-yet-confined console- based games, the AR framework incorporates physical activities and social interaction as well as en- couraging exploration, learning, and discovery. Fur- thermore, as activities integrate digital media culture within the built environment-cities-these games provide an insight into our physical-digital selves and better understanding of ourselves and our commu- nities. CAAD Education - Volume 1 - eCAADe 32 | 359 While the student team developed a fully func- you can't afford it, but you really like the color and the tional prototype [3], they also proposed the next level style. You can take a picture of the suit and have the ap- of functionality that went beyond the scope of the plication search for it. As the application searches for class and student technical competencies. it, you take the time to watch a video of the Fall/Winter 2013 runwayshowwhere the suit wasfirst featured. You Figure 4 notice you like the way it looks when on the runway, but Mobile interface for theblueonethatwasshownlooksevenbetter. Oncethe FashNYC suithasbeenfoundinthesearch, youcantrytofindsim- ilar garments in nearby stores. You're in luck! That application located a similar blue tight-fitting suit in Zara across the street for half the price! Bam! Success. (students: Philip Caleja, Nick Haby, & Daniel Schittone) As with any new app or a product relying on social interconnectivity and input, the key issue is to develop a critical mass of active users who would prop- agate its virtual life.

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