Investigating augmented reality support for novice users in circuit prototyping

Building an electronic circuit is an error-prone activity for novice users; many errors can occur, such as incorrect wirings or wrong component values. This work explores the use of Augmented Reality (AR) as a technology to mitigate the issues that arise when users construct circuits. We present a study that investigates the effectiveness, usability, and cognitive load of AR visual instructions for circuit prototyping tasks. A mobile-based, window-on-the-world AR tool is compared to traditional media such as paper-based or monitor-displayed electronic drawings. Results show that superimposing components and instructions through AR reduces the number of errors, allows users to easily troubleshoot them and reduces users' mental workload.