This research analysed the effects of using an AR co-design environment as a supportive tool during design meetings, on the interaction within a project team.
Lacking interaction is a problem that occurs project wide in the construction industry and can cause diverse effects, leading to mistakes and rework. This lack often originates in the design phase due to the separation of the design and construction teams. A promising technology to enhance interaction is Augmented Reality (AR). AR can increase interaction by providing visualisations of high quality models and information. Previous research into AR applications is often theoretical or concerns other industries. This research tried to fill this research gap by analysing the theoretical and practical effects of two AR environments; an AR scale model and an AR 1:1 model. A literature review analysed which aspects of interaction were present in the AR conditions and how these aspects could, in theory, be affected by the use of AR. With this knowledge, an experimental set-up and evaluation framework were created. Experiments were performed to test how project teams reacted and perceived the technology.
The outcome of the research creates insight into the usability of AR in the design process and the benefits and possible pitfalls of adopting AR, on the interaction within the design team. With this knowledge, AR applications can be developed more specified to the design process of construction projects and companies can apply AR more effectively. The results demonstrated that the use of AR can bring several benefits to the interaction within a project team. Though, important factors influence the occurrence of positive effects which underlines the need for further research and more real-life experiments for the development and adoption of AR as a design environment.