Enhancing Handheld Naviga on Systems with Augmented Reality

The goal of this thesis is to design, implement and evaluate novel techniques for enhancing handheld navigation systems with Augmented Reality (AR). AR is an increasingly popular technology for handheld navigation systems but is rarely studied from a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) perspective. We rather argue that advantages and limitations of AR must be clearly identified and taken into account when designing navigation systems that integrate AR. In this thesis, we apply typical HCI methodologies to tackle this argument. We design and evaluate novel interfaces to support the integration of AR in handheld navigation systems, and evaluate all our designs with real-world users on common tasks of exploration and wayfinding. In particular, we analyse when AR enhances navigation systems and when it does not enhance them. In the latter case, we investigate how AR can be complemented by other interfaces to be more effective. The results from our evaluations show that AR offers two intuitive interaction metaphors for accessing information: pointing at the environment and browsing paper maps. Further, the availability of physical props in AR, such as paper maps, also fosters and supports discussion between multiple users. AR fails when users need an overview of the information, or when tracking is inaccurate; however, our work shows that overlays and transitions to other interfaces can compensate for these shortcomings. Finally, our results suggest that decision points are key scenarios in which AR can enhance handheld navigation systems. The work presented in this thesis deepens the understanding on how AR can be integrated into handheld navigation systems in an effective way. It also provides insight on the tracking technologies and evaluation methodologies necessary to successfully deploy and evaluate handheld AR navigation systems in real-world settings. Our contribution supports interface designers in making informed design decisions for handheld AR navigation systems, and it helps developers understanding the technical components necessary for implementing handheld AR navigation systems and deploying them on the field.