The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile App
As the impact of global warming on climate change becomes noticeable, the importance of energy efficiency for reducing greenhouse gas emissions grows immense. To this end, a platform, solution, and mobile apps are developed as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/7/2671 |
| _version_ | 1797212900585111552 |
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| author | Joo Chan Kim Saguna Saguna Christer Åhlund |
| author_facet | Joo Chan Kim Saguna Saguna Christer Åhlund |
| author_sort | Joo Chan Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the impact of global warming on climate change becomes noticeable, the importance of energy efficiency for reducing greenhouse gas emissions grows immense. To this end, a platform, solution, and mobile apps are developed as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program to support energy optimization in residences. However, to ensure long-term energy optimization, it is crucial to keep users engaged with the apps. Since augmented reality (AR) and a virtual animal companion positively influenced user engagement, we designed an AR companion that represented the user’s residence states; thereby making the user aware of indoor information. We conducted user evaluations to determine the effect of the AR companion on user engagement and perceived usability in the context of energy management. We identified that the user interface (UI) with AR (ARUI) barely affected user engagement and perceived usability compared to the traditional UI without AR (TUI); however, we found that the ARUI positively affected one of the user engagement aspects. Our results show AR companion integration’s potential benefits and effects on energy management mobile apps. Furthermore, our findings provide insights into UI design elements for developers considering multiple interaction modalities with AR. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:49:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f563eeba9e04dd3b2c17be7ad20bf3c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:49:44Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f563eeba9e04dd3b2c17be7ad20bf3c2024-04-12T13:14:29ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-03-01147267110.3390/app14072671The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile AppJoo Chan Kim0Saguna Saguna1Christer Åhlund2Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 931 87 Luleå, SwedenDepartment of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 931 87 Luleå, SwedenDepartment of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 931 87 Luleå, SwedenAs the impact of global warming on climate change becomes noticeable, the importance of energy efficiency for reducing greenhouse gas emissions grows immense. To this end, a platform, solution, and mobile apps are developed as part of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program to support energy optimization in residences. However, to ensure long-term energy optimization, it is crucial to keep users engaged with the apps. Since augmented reality (AR) and a virtual animal companion positively influenced user engagement, we designed an AR companion that represented the user’s residence states; thereby making the user aware of indoor information. We conducted user evaluations to determine the effect of the AR companion on user engagement and perceived usability in the context of energy management. We identified that the user interface (UI) with AR (ARUI) barely affected user engagement and perceived usability compared to the traditional UI without AR (TUI); however, we found that the ARUI positively affected one of the user engagement aspects. Our results show AR companion integration’s potential benefits and effects on energy management mobile apps. Furthermore, our findings provide insights into UI design elements for developers considering multiple interaction modalities with AR.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/7/2671user interfaceuser evaluationuser engagementperceived usabilityaugmented realityInternet of Things |
| spellingShingle | Joo Chan Kim Saguna Saguna Christer Åhlund The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile App Applied Sciences user interface user evaluation user engagement perceived usability augmented reality Internet of Things |
| title | The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile App |
| title_full | The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile App |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile App |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile App |
| title_short | The Effects of Augmented Reality Companion on User Engagement in Energy Management Mobile App |
| title_sort | effects of augmented reality companion on user engagement in energy management mobile app |
| topic | user interface user evaluation user engagement perceived usability augmented reality Internet of Things |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/7/2671 |
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