Abstract
In this paper we investigate if handheld augmented reality, in the form of an application running on a mainstream smartphone, can serve as a practical and effective tool for inventory tasks. Taking magazine retail as an example, we have applied a user-centered design process to research, design, implement and evaluate a handheld AR application prototype. We conducted a qualitative user study at magazine retail stores, where staff responsible for magazines were interviewed (\(n=8\)) and their primary magazine handling tasks observed. After an analysis of the study findings, we selected a key task as the basis for the design, implementation and test of an AR app prototype. The task consisted of collecting and registering a list of magazines for return to the distributor. We evaluated the AR app prototype in a user study (\(n=22\)), where participants used it to perform the selected task. They also performed the task using the paper list currently in use, and a second, simplified app prototype, without AR features. Task performance was measured based on time and error rate. The participant’s subjective experience was also captured in the form of a post-task survey and interview. Our findings suggest that handheld AR can prove effective when used for specific, focused tasks, rather than more open-ended ones.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the store staff and prototype evaluation participants for their time, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments. This research was supported by Bladkompagniet, which provided materials and compensation for the studies and participants. Their team participated in initial planning, field research recruitment, prototype evaluation environment construction and provided feedback. This research was also supported by Charlie Tango, which provided the infrastructure for the prototype evaluation. We wish to thank Ulla Tønner, who provided valuable feedback on the design of the prototype evaluation. Peter Mitts also wishes to thank Tessa, for her support during the development of this project.
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Mitts, P., Debarba, H.G. (2021). On the Use of Handheld Augmented Reality for Inventory Tasks: A Study with Magazine Retailers. In: Ardito, C., et al. Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2021. INTERACT 2021. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12932. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85623-6_33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85623-6_33
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