Extended Reality 2023

Designing for Wide Adoption: An Inexpensive and Accessible Extended Reality (XR) Device

With the increased adoption of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), the question of how to make these technologies more accessible to more people becomes more relevant and urgent [1, 2]. HoloWorld is an Extended Reality (XR) accessory inspired by the illusion of Pepper’s Ghost [3]. Our prototype fits onto most tablets and smartphones, providing users with a digital experience that is more spatial and immersive than what a flat screen can provide. In order to find wide adoption, HoloWorld has been developed using a combination of  [4] iterative design methods to deliver a few key features. For one, the product is easy to use. HoloWorld is portable and easy to configure with any smartphone. Similar to Google Cardboard [5], it uses a smartphone to provide power, connectivity, and source display. Additionally, the product is inexpensive. Great care has been given to the design of HoloWorld for manufacturability. The materials – corrugated plastic and acetate sheet – can easily be die cut, and produced for pennies on the dollar. Finally, HoloWorld is accessible and designed for broad adoption. The product can be easily branded and is an ideal vehicle for marketing campaigns. Because HoloWorld is inexpensive to produce, and it can be easily branded with content such as logos, QR codes, and demo videos, it presents itself as an ideal vehicle for businesses to reduce their customer acquisition costs.

Gonsher, I., Feng, P., McArn, T., Christenson, A. (2023). Designing for Wide Adoption: An Inexpensive and Accessible Extended Reality (XR) Device. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S., Salvendy, G. (eds) HCI International 2023 Posters. HCII 2023. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1836. Springer, Cham.

(PI) Ian Gonsher
Andrew Christenson
Theo McArn
Pinyuan Feng