Pervasive Augmented Reality for Industry Scenarios: Lessons Learned and Insights Gained from a Comparative User Study

The use of Pervasive Augmented Reality (AR) in industrial settings, particularly in the context of Industry 4.0, is a growing area of research. Industry 4.0 is characterized by the integration of advanced technologies, including AR, to enable smart, connected, and autonomous systems in manufacturing and other industries. This study focuses on two systems that use Pervasive AR for logistics and data monitoring on assembly lines. Such systems were designed using cooperative Human-Centered Design (HCD) methodologies in collaboration with partners from the industry sector. We report lessons learned and guidelines on the development of AR systems for industrial environments. In addition, a user study based on a data monitoring laboratory realistic procedure with 8 participants is described. The study compares the usability and effectiveness of a dashboard on Pervasive AR and a web tablet. Overall, results emphasize that AR was better suited when requiring spatial awareness and interventions, while traditional web tablet was better for tasks that require more interaction with the content and faster data monitoring. These findings had implications for the design of industrial tools, such as prototype improvements and idealize new methods, which can guide future efforts to develop and deploy AR applications.