The Importance of Separation in the Creation and Usage Phases of Augmented Reality Content Using Social Cognitive Theory

Abstract

Although Augmented Reality (AR) based Process Guidance Systems (PGS) bring enormous potential savings to organizations, this technology is often not used beyond prototyping. One possible reason is that creating AR content requires advanced programming skills and deep spatial knowledge, which many SMEs lack. To address this challenge, AR authoring tools should enable novice users to create AR content. In this DSR project, we propose an AR authoring tool that novice users can apply as an innovative artifact to solve this problem. We elaborate on the third theoretical grounded design principle based on the social cognitive theory to understand the demands of creating and using AR content. We evaluated the developed software artifact in a field study with 12 participants. Our results show the different sources of self-efficacy in the creation and usage phase of AR content, highlighting the need for separation.