Understanding and supporting the process of learning about augmented reality and virtual reality creation among new creators

In recent years, the global technological landscape has witnessed a significant shift, with the widespread availability of consumer-level Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) devices. This democratization has opened doors for individuals from diverse backgrounds to start exploring the creative potential and tinkering with AR/VR applications. The primary objective of this dissertation was to understand and support the needs and challenges encountered by new AR/VR creators, particularly those without formal training in designing and implementing immersive experiences. In pursuit of this goal, I conducted research involving a diverse group of AR/VR enthusiasts, including UI/UX designers, linguists, psychologists, and software engineers, each bringing their unique perspectives yet all being novices in AR/VR creation. I first conducted interviews with 21 AR/VR new creators, which revealed that the barriers these creators faced in AR/VR, such as implementation, debugging, and testing, were more pronounced than in traditional web and mobile application development, mainly due to the rapid evolution of AR/VR hardware and software and the plethora of unknowns faced by creators. This rapid pace often left participants struggling with where to start and understanding the current state-of-the-art. To mitigate the challenges AR/VR new creators faced, I designed, built, and evaluated PONI platform allowing new AR/VR creators to locate relevant projects based on their programming and 3D modeling skills, development goals, and any constraints, such as time or budget. Finally, recognizing a need for observational studies to complete our picture of new creators' process of learning about AR/VR development, I conducted an observational study with 12 software developers. This study assessed how developers new to AR approach the initial creation processes using a simplified development framework, the information resources they seek, and how their learning experience compares to the more mainstream 2D development. This stage shed light on the unique needs and challenges of emerging developers and implications for designing user-centered training and learning approaches for new developers in this field. The central thesis of this dissertation is that providing new AR/VR creators with personalized learning resources and assistance tailored and appropriated to their specific challenges can offer a useful and usable means to overcome their challenges in the initial stages of this multifaceted learning process.