BlocklyXR: An Interactive Extended Reality Toolkit for Digital Storytelling

Kwanghee Jung,Vinh T Nguyen,Jaehoon Lee

doi:10.3390/app11031073

Abstract

Traditional in-app virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) applications pose a challenge of reaching users due to their dependency on operating systems (Android, iOS). Besides, it is difficult for general users to create their own VR/AR applications and foster their creative ideas without advanced programming skills. This paper addresses these issues by proposing an interactive extended reality toolkit, named BlocklyXR. The objective of this research is to provide general users with a visual programming environment to build an extended reality application for digital storytelling. The contextual design was generated from real-world map data retrieved from Mapbox GL. ThreeJS was used for setting up, rendering 3D environments, and controlling animations. A block-based programming approach was adapted to let users design their own story. The capability of BlocklyXR was illustrated with a use case where users were able to replicate the existing PalmitoAR utilizing the block-based authoring toolkit with fewer efforts in programming. The technology acceptance model was used to evaluate the adoption and use of the interactive extended reality toolkit. The findings showed that visual design and task technology fit had significantly positive effects on user motivation factors (perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness). In turn, perceived usefulness had statistically significant and positive effects on intention to use, while there was no significant impact of perceived ease of use on intention to use. Study implications and future research directions are discussed.

Highlights

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are emerging technologies that have attracted researchers from a wide variety of fields in recent years [1,2,3]
VR enables users to immerse themselves in a virtual environment that is isolated from the physical world [4], while AR supplements the real world with augmented information [5]
Along with the positive comments, we received constructive feedback for improvements such as presenting more detailed explanations on the features of BlocklyXR–“More detailed tutorials may be needed”; “I found that the elements of the toolkit have not been properly introduced

Summary

Introduction

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are emerging technologies that have attracted researchers from a wide variety of fields in recent years [1,2,3]. VR enables users to immerse themselves in a virtual environment that is isolated from the physical world [4], while AR supplements the real world with augmented information [5]. They have distinctive roles in helping users carry out certain tasks more efficiently. AR is more focused on providing contextual information (e.g., annotations [12]), presentations [13], mapping virtual objects with the physical world [14] (i.e., automatically situating an object on the targeted floor).

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Discussion

Conclusion