Social augmented reality: Enhancing context‐dependent communication and informal learning at work

TLDR

Workplace learning with AR faces challenges such as limited sharing of situational details, lack of direct communication over distance, and insufficient social appraisal, especially on construction sites, prompting a focus on enhancing human‑to‑human interactions through messages, gestures, and other communication elements. The study aims to present a SoAR prototype that augments video calls with overlaid drawings to facilitate asking and providing guidance in context‑dependent work situations. The prototype was developed through phenomenological research‑based design, involving qualitative analysis of construction workers’ field activities and workshops, and incorporates video‑call overlays for contextual guidance. The prototype, an SoAR application for smartphones, demonstrates that such augmented video calls can serve as a tool for context‑reliant guidance in workplace settings.

Abstract

Abstract Our design proposal of social augmented reality (SoAR) grows from the observed difficulties of practical applications of augmented reality (AR) in workplace learning. In our research we investigated construction workers doing physical work in the field and analyzed the data using qualitative methods in various workshops. The challenges related to learning in the construction sites were: sharing of specific situation processes or details, need of direct communication channel over distance and support for social appraisal. The second result of the study is a prototype. SoAR is a design solution, an application for smart phones. The primary target for the SoAR design builds on the discoveries and idea that current AR developments in the area should focus on enhancing human‐to‐human interactions: messages, gestures, words and other small elements of communication. We present the current SoAR prototype that enhances video calls with overlaid drawings therefor SoAR is a tool for asking and providing guidance in context‐reliant work situations. Our guiding theoretical framework is drawing from phenomenological discussion dealing with embodied interaction expanded by a process of research‐based design.