Wizard of Oz Prototyping for Interactive Spatial Augmented Reality in HCI Education

Abstract

In this paper we present our findings that emerged from Wizard of Oz (WOz) prototyping workshops of an undergrad course on UX design between 2017 – 2022. The purpose of these workshops is both to familiarize the students with WOz as a rapid low-complexity prototyping method and to facilitate them in designing for interactive systems beyond typical graphical user interfaces. In these workshops, students develop and test Wizard of Oz prototypes for interactive spatial augmented reality (SAR). Over the past six years, in total 93 prototypes have been created on the course. We analyzed the prototypes that emerged from the workshops based on input, purpose, play characteristics and projection surfaces. Based on the analysis and our experiences during the workshops, we conclude that the workshops stimulate creativity, enable students to rapidly create interactive SAR interfaces without being limited by their technical skills and time limitations and provide them with a tool that they apply beyond the scope of the prototyping course. We discuss advantages and limitations of the use of WOz prototyping for interactive Spatial Augmented Reality.