Criteria of evaluating augmented reality applications

Abstract

Introduction. The field of augmented reality (AR) is growing rapidly and has great advances in interaction, navigation and tracking. Nowadays there are a lot of trends for AR applications in different areas (education, entertainment, business, medicine, etc.). However, there is a lack of research to provide the evaluating AR apps framework to support developers when creating suitable AR applications for specific needs. We provide a practical approach to quantify some of the AR applications features. We focus on the development of criteria for evaluating augmented reality applications. We discuss the criteria of choosing dimensions for that space such as standards for AR, tools for AR development, navigation and tracking, content management, usability. We provide analysis and evaluation of AR apps through each characteristic using guidelines which we have developed. Materials and Methods. An AR application is a software application that integrates digital visual, audio and other types of content into a real-world environment. The software quality and performance are the main characteristics of the application, which are key factors for AR applications. The analysis of scientific papers, documents and standards made it possible to determine characteristics that are the most significant quality indicators based on well-grounded users’ needs and demands. Results. The criteria we have developed for evaluating applications with augmented reality enable developers to create their own software products in stages, based on step-by-step requirements for them, evaluating the development process by characteristics. This approach will allow you to create high-quality software products using standardized, modern development tools. Discussion and Conclusions. In addition, developers will have a detailed understanding of each stage of creating the application and the necessary development tools and technologies to obtain the highest quality result. That will give an opportunity to decide on specific development tools, methods, models and technologies before starting work on a project. As a result, it will provide the final high-quality software product with good extensibility and compliance with the modern requirements of the digital industry market.