Comparative usability evaluation of moverio and smartphone

Mobile apps embedded with Augmented Reality (AR) have recently spread among the general public thanks to technological advances, e.g., smartphone with faster processing speed, and the reduction of costs. AR technology has been exploited to enhance the experience of tourists and numerous apps have been experimented. However, it is not free from shortcomings. In the present study we assessed and compared the usability and user experience of two types of devices, namely a head-mounted display (HMD) and a smartphone, enabling environmental exploration with an AR app. We found that participants were equally accurate and fast at accomplishing the three tasks required, i.e., reading a text, reaching a landmark and finding the nearest places. Prior to the test, users had high expectations toward both devices and they were concerned of appearing weird to bystanders while using the HMD. Overall, the differences between the devices leveled out after the actual usage. Furthermore, users surprisingly assigned lower scores of the ease of use to the smartphone at post-test. Together, our findings suggest that the urban exploration is effectively supported by both technologies.