The Expanded Book - Various Perspectives in Augmented Reality

Abstract

This research aims to understand how Augmented Reality (AR) can enhance and enrich the traditional experience of reading an illustrated children’s book. In this context, a children’s book has been developed that explores the digital component of AR, along with the characteristics of a physical book, resulting in a synergy with the printed narrative. The narrative is presented in two layers, a printed one and a digital one, the latter reveals characters that are not seen in the page layout.

Thus, after the interactive book prototype was created, tests were conducted with a sample of the target audience. These tests helped to understand that this combination resulted in a captivating experience for the user who demonstrated a positive reaction to the book and the activity. The project revealed that it can bring the user and reading closer together through the use of technology, which has proven to be a relevant and engaging factor among young audiences. These tests also revealed that participants did not have difficulty handling both dimensions, the book and the mobile device, simultaneously. Similarly, the test also focused on information retention about the narrative to assess the ability of AR to improve the understanding of illustrated story reading.