Exploring the Fit: Analysing Material Selection for Interactive Markers in MAR Games through Co-Design

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges:
  The authors focus on how to select appropriate materials for creating interactive markers to enhance children's user experience in mobile augmented reality (MAR) games. This study explores the gap between designers' expectations and children's actual behaviors.

• Significance:
  The advantage of mobile augmented reality games lies in blending the physical and virtual worlds, which can enhance educational and social interactions. While many studies have explored the potential of augmented reality, there remains an unexplored area regarding the practice of using physical interactive markers in children's games and their alignment with user preferences.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  The use of interactive markers in augmented reality can expand educational and entertainment opportunities by enhancing sensory interaction and social collaboration. Existing research has analyzed the role of markers in education but has not sufficiently explored how children interact with marker materials and how such interactions influence the design process.

Solution

• Proposed Approach or Solution:
  The authors adopt a co-design approach, combining designers' professional input with children's creative participation to explore five key factors: simplicity, customizability, sustainability, creative balance, and collaboration.

• Innovative Aspects:
  The study not only examines the selection of marker materials from the designers' perspective but also incorporates children's actual interaction feedback to uncover differences between designers and end-users. This dual perspective provides new insights into designing physical marker materials suitable for children.

• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:

  1. Designer Interviews: Conducted thematic interviews with designers through online brainstorming sessions to gather their opinions on marker material selection.
  2. Children's Workshops:
     • Phase 1: Introduced the basic concepts of augmented reality games and allowed children to experience existing MAR games.
     • Phase 2: Engaged participants in material construction tasks to explore different marker creation methods.
  3. Data analysis employed qualitative methods, combining thematic analysis and multiple rounds of coding to extract design recommendations and behavioral patterns.

Research Findings

• Specific Outcomes:

  1. For the first time, the study identified the core concerns of designers when selecting marker materials (e.g., performance and creativity) and the differences in children's actual interaction behaviors.
  2. Discovered children's adaptation strategies when using new materials, including experimentation, decision-making pressure, and collaboration.

• Advantages Compared to Existing Solutions:
  By starting from actual user behavior data and conducting in-depth observations of children's interactions with materials, the study provides designers with recommendations more aligned with user needs, resulting in more usable and engaging design outcomes.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  1. Children's Interaction Behaviors: Children initially exhibited hesitation when encountering new materials but quickly adapted and began experimenting creatively. This highlights the need to support users' learning curves.
  2. Designer Preferences vs. User Behavior: Designers tended to prioritize technical performance and reusability, while children were more inclined toward the creative process. This reveals a conflict between design goals and user experience.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations:
    • Designer interviews were affected by technical disruptions due to the online format.
    • Children's storytelling in the workshops might have been influenced by their initial game experiences, introducing narrative bias.
    • The sample was limited to a specific age group (children aged 10-14) and required participants to be proficient in English.
  • Future Directions:
    • Develop MAR marker design prototypes based on the current findings and conduct further testing in real-world environments.
    • Explore more advanced 3D marker recognition technologies to enhance marker interactivity.
    • Expand the participant pool to include a broader range of age groups and cultural backgrounds.

Conclusion

This study delves into the differing priorities and interaction behaviors of designers and children in material selection, highlighting the importance of balancing creativity and usability in MAR game design. Through the co-design process, the authors provide valuable practical recommendations for optimizing child-friendly marker materials and open new research avenues for augmented reality-based educational and entertainment environments.