Developing Mobile Mixed Reality Application Based on User Needs and Expectations Amandeep Dhir @ , Thomas Olsson # , Said Elnaffar ! @ Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Science, Aalto University, Finland # Unit of Human-Centered Technology, Tampere University of Technology, Tampere-33720, Finland ! Faculty of Information Technology, UAE University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates {amandeep.dhir@aalto.fi} @ {thomas.olsson@tut.fi} # {elnaffar@uaeu.ac.ae} ! Abstract— Mixed reality refers to the unification and interaction of the digital and physical environments giving an immersive view of the environment to its users. The aim of our study is to investigate the needs and expectations of the potential users of a futuristic and a novel technology called Mobile Mixed Reality (MMR). Based on the users’ impressions and expectations, we developed MMR prototypes representing various scenarios and contexts of use. We observed that the most important factors that play a role when it comes to acceptability are usefulness, personalization, reliability, and relevance. We developed different prototypes that were tested in order to evaluate the prototype acceptability. The understanding provided by the study helped in designing early MMR prototypes. The most intrusive elements that should be supported by any MMR application were found to be usefulness (how useful is the information to any individual), personalization (personify the information with such questions as what, how and when to receive any information), reliability (accuracy and authenticity of the presented information), and relevance (utility and value of the information). Keywords-component - Mobile mixed reality, mobile devices, prototyping, user needs, user expectation, user research I. INTRODUCTION The ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, particularly smartphones and tablets, has transformed the basic three needs of human lives: food, shelter and clothing. Initially, mobile phones were introduced as a medium for communication, but now they are extended to the full spectrum of social networking, Web surfing, multimedia, global positioning, entertainment, and so on. Gartner Inc has stated that worldwide mobile device sale has reached 1.6 billion units with an increase of 72% in 2010 [1]. This growth has made mobile devices affordable and ubiquitous. This mass scale adoption of mobile devices has created connected spaces involving physical and digital environments that can support the concept of Mobile Mix Reality (MMR). This concept can be more easily explained by understanding the wide spectrum of Mixed Reality (MR) [2][3] where, in different degrees, the physical and digital environments interact and mix together. Figure 1: Overview of Reality –Virtuality Continuum [3] Therefore, the MR can be viewed as a continuum spectrum whose one end is augmented reality and the other end is augmented virtuality (see Figure 1) [4]. Augmented reality is a technology that enhances the world around us by overlaying important data, usually in real-time. A simple example would be a fighter pilot looking through his visor’s heads-up display at a view of the sky annotated with real-world information, such as the target, altitude and horizon data. The augmented virtuality, at the other end of the Mixed Reality, we find that new controllers from the video game makers such as Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony enable players to interact with games by tracking real movements in 3D space, providing a more intuitive, natural and overall fun gaming experience. In this paper, we focus on the augmented reality [5] aspect of the MR but in the context of mobile computing, which is referred to Mobile Mixed Reality (MMR). MMR can provide rich, enjoyable and surprising experiences to its users. Unfortunately, this area did not get its due attention from researchers yet. The last decade, however, has witnessed an increasing interest in MMR services with researchers and service companies interested in investigating MMR. Due to the enormous market potential of MMR, several service 2012 International Conference on Innovations in Information Technology (IIT) 978-1-4673-1101-4/12/$31.00 ©2012 IEEE 83