ABSTRACT
Augmented Reality (AR) is an evolving and revolutionary human-computer interaction technology. It is a promising technology in the domain of industrial maintenance due to the support provided to the technicians, which is in real time and on the working environment, and the consequent high level of safety. Most research are about technical aspects, with a limited interest in terms of human-system interaction, human perception, ergonomic and usability aspects.
The aim of the thesis is to develop a systematic approach whose scope is to guide designers in effectively analysing and evaluating AR applications, in order to define the most suitable combination of solutions for a specific maintenance activity. By following a user-centred design approach, a multi-criteria model based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method has been proposed. Several criteria (input-design parameters) and alternatives (output-solutions) have been analysed and compared, on a trade-off basis, in order to prioritize the alternatives and efficiently designing new solutions.
The research methodology has been divided into four main parts focusing respectively on analysing Augmented Reality solutions, defining common design parameters, developing a framework, testing it with two case studies and analysing the results obtained.
The quantitative results show the global potentialities and applicability of the model as well as the efficacy of the methodology in supporting complex decisions within the context of AR. The use of the AHP method aided the experts to deal with complex and contrasting concepts and express a preference among them with a subjective judgement based on their personal understanding of the problem.
Keywords:
Industrial Maintenance, User-centred Design, Human Factors, Ergonomics, Usability, Analytic Hierarchy Process
