User Experience Design with Augmented Reality (AR).

The paper examines the influence of augmented reality (AR) technology on the user experience, comparing the IKEA Place AR App with the IKEA website. The International Organization for Standardization (2010) defines user experience as a “person's perceptions and responses resulting from the use and/or anticipated use of a product, system or service” and thus describes a person’s quantification of satisfaction with a company’s digital touchpoint. AR is a technology that overlays information or interactive elements on top of the user’s physical environment. The technology is increasingly being used in an economic context and changes the user’s brand experience, as we demonstrate in our IKEA research case. User experiences at digital touchpoints are a decisive success criterion for brands like IKEA, due to their influence on the image of the company and its products. IKEA, therefore, focuses on touchpoint innovations such as the IKEA Place AR App. Taking this development into account, the research question of our study was: “How does the user experience differ when using an AR App as a substitute for the use of a web application?” To answer this question, we conducted experimental A/B testing with two groups of 28 persons each: one group used an AR touchpoint (IKEA Place App) to make product decisions and the other group used a conventional touchpoint (IKEA website) for the same task. After testing, the participants' user experience with the respective touchpoint was recorded using the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ) (Laugwitz, Held and Schrepp, 2008; Schrepp, Hinderks and Thomaschewski, 2017). Results showed that the innovative IKEA Place App touchpoint could deliver a better user experience than the IKEA website. The App scored stronger in the user experience dimensions “Stimulation” and “Novelty”. The results illustrate the importance of innovative digital touchpoints and reflect practical recommendations for their design and thus to improve the brand experience of companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]