Situating design for scenario-specific needs.

Designers should create adaptable AR cues for first responders, considering emergency levels, physical environments, and movement pace to ensure visibility and efficiency.

About this paper

The author conducted interviews with 26 first responders to evaluate the use of AR head-mounted displays (HMDs) in enhancing situational awareness during hazardous scenarios.

The study identified both general and role-specific preferences, and provided actionable design guidelines for future AR system implementations, while also highlighting concerns around trust, privacy, and equipment integration.

Here are some methods used in this study:

User-Centered Design Thematic Analysis

Which part of the paper did the design guideline come from?

“Colors. In mass casualty incidents that involve multiple tasks or situations in diferent urgency levels, FRs must quickly assess the scene and prioritize the most critical situations [45,65]. Six participants (P1, P2, P15, P20, P22, P24) found color of AR cues was helpful to indicate the severity level of an incident, and paramedics also mentioned that colors were commonly used for triage (P7, P15). In terms of the (...)” (Section 4.6: Preferences on Properties of AR Cues)

Zhang, K., Cochran, B. R., Chen, R., Hartung, L., Sprecher, B., Tredinnick, R., Ponto, K., Banerjee, S., & Zhao, Y. (2024). Exploring the Design Space of Optical See-through AR Head-Mounted Displays to Support First Responders in the Field. Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Inspiration and scope

In this paper, the authors focused on first responders' characteristics and scenario-specific needs in emergencies.

You are designing for Afro-diasporic people in the U.S. The contexts differ: the paper targets first responders needing efficient, reliable, and stress-resilient solutions, whereas yours involves creating a culturally enriching mixed reality experience focusing on engagement, not immediate functionality. At the same time, both require understanding and integrating the user's specific context. Understanding first responders' scenarios is crucial for solutions. Similarly, the mixed reality experience must deeply resonate with Afro-diasporic individuals' cultural contexts, ensuring meaningful and respectful AR experiences.

Also, they differ: designing for first responders requires integrating technology for robust communication and quick data access under extreme conditions. Conversely, the designer's context uses technologies like accelerometers and gyroscopes for immersive AR experiences, focusing on user engagement over stress reliability. At the same time, both contexts tailor technology for enhanced interaction and experience. For first responders, it's for quick, intuitive use in emergencies. In mixed reality, it's for intuitive, smooth interactions, enhancing cultural and emotional connections. Both prioritize seamless, accessible user experiences through tailored technology.

By leveraging these similarities, consider designing AR digital zones that adapt to cultural contexts, creating intuitive experiences for Afro-diasporic users and fostering stronger cultural connections through AR.

Your input

What: I am designing for a mixed reality experience that uses both digital (AR) and physical means of interaction with the user's environment. This is done by scanning their phone across a table which creates their digital zone. Next, users can view an AR world through their phone. This tech uses accelerometer and gyroscope and not camera.
Who: I'm designing for people who identify as Afro diasporic and who live in the United States.
Design stage: Research, Ideation

Understanding users

The following user needs and pain points may apply to your design target as well:

Seamless, Contextual AR Interactions

Design the AR interactions in the mixed reality experience to be intuitive and smoothly integrated with the user's real-world context. Adaptive interaction techniques can help users feel a deeper cultural and emotional connection to the AR content.

Adaptive Visual Cues for Diverse Environments

Implement dynamic AR visual cues that can adjust to the varying environmental contexts encountered by users. This approach can provide clear and contextually meaningful augmentations that enhance user engagement.

Design ideas

Consider the following components for your design:

Integrate Afro-diasporic cultural symbols and events into AR zones

Use accelerometer and gyroscope data to create smooth, intuitive transitions between physical and digital worlds

Design interactions that are respectful and enriching to the user's cultural identity

Methods for you

Consider the following method(s) used in this paper for your design work:

Thematic Analysis

Thematic analysis can help in identifying and understanding patterns and themes in user experiences, particularly useful in the early Research stage to capture the diverse needs and challenges of target users. Designers should ensure to systematically code and categorize the data to avoid losing critical insights related to Afro diasporic users.

Design Probes in AR

Using AR design probes can inspire creativity and help brainstorm innovative ideas during the Ideate stage. Designers should consider culturally and contextually relevant cues that resonate with the target demographic to ensure relevance and engagement.

[Figure 2] From this figure, you can gain insight into various visual cueing strategies that may inspire ideation for intuitive and effective mixed reality interactions.