“Oh My God! It’s Recreating Our Room!” Understanding Children’s Experiences with A Room-Scale Augmented Reality Authoring Toolkit

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and education researchers have applied Augmented Reality (AR) to support spatial thinking in K-12 education. However, fewer studies support spatial thinking through spatial exploration. Room-scale AR, a recent technology development, brings new opportunities not yet researched. We developed NetLogo AR, an AR authoring toolkit, that allows children to play with, design, and create room-scale AR experiences that combine AR with computational models. To acquire a deeper and more nuanced understanding of children's interactions with this new technology, we conducted eight-week participatory design sessions with seven children aged 11-13. We analyzed 48 hours of video data, interview transcripts, and design artifacts. Children were enthusiastic and engaged in spatial thinking activities. We affirmed room-scale AR's role in spatial exploration by comparing it with other supported modalities. Building on existing studies, we propose a new AR design framework around spatial movement and exploration that could help inform design decisions.