School of Science and Technology 科技學院
Computing Programmes 電腦學系
| Programme | Bachelor of Science with Honours in Internet Technology |
| Supervisor | Dr. Andrew Lui |
| Areas | Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Applications |
| Year of Completion | 2016 |
The aim of this project is to develop a mobile application to connect OUHK students through the things on campus in order to improve students' sense of belonging. The mobile phone allows students to interact with the server in a specific place with the support of camera and Augmented Reality technology.
This application focuses on providing a virtual platform for OUHK students to share their campus life with each other and facilitate their discussion on common experiences that they can relate to. Internet-of-Things is the idea that carries out this project. By utilizing this application, OUHK students can improve their sense of belonging and enjoy being a part of it. Students can build up stronger relationship and connection with others. The project objectives are:
Identify the markers of Augmented Reality to facilitate the connection between students' smart-phone and campus.
The wall itself is a good material of displaying things. The OUHK campus has so many walls and some used for putting notes and news. However, most of them are not utilized well. By exploiting the walls, virtual walls take place. A virtual wall is like a virtual installation art composed of photos and decorations attached to the wall in Augmented Reality environment.
The solution is to develop an Android mobile application with the server. Users access AR camera to view attractive and artistic walls. It requires AR technologies for marker identification and virtual presentation of a gallery.
The homepage on the left is what guests will see when they open the application. After the user logs into their account, it provides four functions to the user. They are AR camera, profile, my gallery, and upload function.
The user selects the location of the campus to put a meaningful photo by the spinner. Then, user can choose to take a photo instantly or grab from the phone album. A caption can be added before the photo is uploaded.
There are three main features that users can use once the photos and AR decorations show up on the wall. They are sharing tool, off marker viewing, and paging tool.
User can share the current view as a photo to social media. User can choose to share the view to different social media and write some comments.
User can choose to view the scene off marker, which the user does not need to point the AR camera all the time once the AR scene is shown. Once the off maker function is used, a control panel can be used to browse the off marker scene. Then the AR scene can be viewed in 360 degrees horizontally and vertically.
Each individual image can be further expanded. User can view the photo clearly and the description of the photo is provided.
A group of computing students was chosen to be the main testers due to there is a particular design in the computing labs towards the 4th floor signage. Computing students spend so much time on computer labs. It is sensible that collecting their feedback for evaluating the result of application. After-use survey collects information about functional and non-functional performance of NJAW. Questions involve user satisfaction, response performance, aim effectiveness and improvement.
90% participants like the virtual design presentation on the wall and only 10% participants indicate neutral. Therefore, users like the virtual design and agree NJAW provides a virtual and artistic platform.
30% participants strongly agree NJAW is easy to use and 70% participants agree NJAW is easy to use. All students agree NJAW is easy to use. It seems that NJAW provides an easy to use platform for users to share campus life by Internet of things.
40% participants strongly agree the AR camera is convenient to use and 60% participants agree AR camera is convenient to use. All students agree AR camera is convenient to use. It may due to the off-marker function because the users can still view photo even though leaving the wall.
80% participants disagree that they have difficulties in identifying the walls to display photo virtually and only 20% participants indicate neutral. Therefore, users have few difficulties to use augmented reality function to identify the wall.
All components are completely developed and the project enters the right track. The result is summarized that NJAW is feasible and effective to improve student's sense of belonging to campus and their connections. Functionally, the Pair-T-test result indicates NJAW provides a good platform for students to share their campus life and interact with others. In the non-functional aspect, the after-use survey reported that NJAW is easy to use and testers do not have difficulties in identifying AR marker. The UAT reported image loading time and AR recognition time are acceptable. Based on the results, NJAW achieves the aim and objectives.
For more interactions, commenting function can be added in future. A user can give comments to other's photo and the receiver or everyone could view on the comments. The comments could be a better way to express what the reader would like to tell and it increases the communications between users. Not only words, but also images are supported to put in a comment. Response with photos is more interesting and photos with related campus life may be used as a comment so a single post is able collect more campus climates and may result more meaningful.
Copyright Hung Wing Sum, Jian Guang Yao, Li Wing Chi and Andrew Lui 2016
