A vessel convoy is a complex and high-risk operation completed during icebreaking operations in the Arctic. Icebreaker navigators need to continuously communicate with their crew while monitoring information such as speed, heading, and distance between vessels in the convoy. This paper presents an augmented reality user interface concept, which aims to support navigators by improving oversight and safety during convoy operations. The concept demonstrates how augmented reality can help to realize a situated user interface that adapts to user’s physical and operational contexts. The concept was developed through a human-centered design process and tested through a virtual reality simulator in a usability study involving seven mariners. The results suggest that augmented reality has the potential to improve the safety of convoy operations by integrating distributed information with heads-up access to operation-critical information. However, the user interface concept is still novel, and further work is needed to develop the concept and safely integrate augmented reality into maritime operations.
Designing for professional, high-risk user contexts often implies limited accessibility for interaction designers to conduct field research and field testing, and the measures taken by most universities in Norway in 2020 to prevent COVID-19 spread have further contributed to the problem of achieving the contextual insight needed throughout the design process by severely restricting travel for research purposes. In this paper, we describe the use of virtual reality-reconstructed operation scenarios (VRROS) for Arctic-going vessels implemented in support of and as a substitute for the contextual aspects of fieldwork in the education of master’s students studying interaction design. The virtual reality rig contains three scenarios contextualizing ships’ bridges and their surroundings originally developed for research on designing navigation and operation applications using augmented reality technology. We evaluate whether aspects of the VRROS can substitute for real fieldwork by evaluating students’ use of the VRROS using a student questionnaire. Finally, we discuss the value and potential of using VRROS as a supplement and support when studying how to design for hard-to-reach contexts in the future.
Field research requires openness to unforeseen insights and opportunities, especially when designing for complex and dynamic workplaces, such as a ship bridge. In this paper, we investigate how serendipitous outcomes may be facilitated in design-driven field research. We present a case study of two field research trips onboard Arctic-going vessels, during which we investigated the premises of designing augmented reality (AR) systems for navigators. We describe how an explorative and opportunistic mixed-methods approach facilitated serendipity and analyse which specific aspects led to serendipitous outcomes in three examples. Last, we discuss how practical support for designers and design researchers conducting design-driven field research can be developed and suggest how strategies to employ approaches that facilitate serendipity can increase the likelihood and awareness of serendipitous outcomes.
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