ApproachableAR

Augmented reality(AR) is an emerging technology. It has proved to be a promising technology in many sectors and designers have a special role to play. Over my engagement in diverse projects relating to AR at CMU, I have realized friction in understanding and prototyping among design community. My goal with thesis is to uncover opportunities in this space through research and build tools to empower design community. ApproachableAR is an attempt to unpack the tacit knowledge into clear frameworks. There’s a clear benefit when it comes to smartphone AR, i.e the taxonomies can be broken down in ways we understand designing for smartphone itself. On visual front we can understanding designing for smartphone AR through Typography, Iconography, Layout and Hierarchy. Similarly on UX front, Onboarding, Feedback, Signifiers and Affordances are some crucial concepts. As the domain of smartphone AR evolves rapidly, ApproachableAR aspires to be a rapid onboarding platform for excited designers.