Software Engineering for Augmented Reality - A Research Agenda

Abstract

Augmented reality changes the way we perceive reality and how we interact with computers. However, we argue that to create augmented reality solutions, we need to rethink the way we develop software. In this paper, we review the state of the art in software engineering for augmented reality applications, derive open questions, and define a research agenda. For this purpose, we consider different engineering phases and evaluate conventional techniques regarding their applicability for AR development. In requirements engineering, we found the integration of AR experts and the associated collaboration between actors to be of key aspect in the development process. Additionally, requirements about the physical world must be considered, which in turn has a huge impact on UI design. The relevance of the physical environment is not yet sufficiently addressed in applicable techniques, which also applies to current implementation frameworks and tools, complicating the AR development process. When evaluating AR software iterations, we found interaction testing and test automation to have great potential, although they have not yet been sufficiently researched. Our paper contributes to AR research by revealing current core challenges within the AR development process and formulating explicit research questions that should be considered by future research.