Emerging Technology (AR, VR and MR) in Interior Design Program in the UAE: Challenges and solutions

Traditional presentation methods like sketching, 2D illustration, 3D images, animation and drawings in interior design program have been widely used for many decades. This study focuses on the potential application of emerging technology in the interior design program in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We are interested in the potential of technology such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) to provide an innovative solution in interior design program. This research covers a study on the impact, reasons, applications, challenges and recommended solutions to deploy in interior design program. A short survey of interior design students in the UAE was used to gather student feedback on this technology. According to the feedback, this technology has a promising future, but most program did not incorporate it into their curriculum. Thus, it left students with no choice other than using the same methods for presenting their work. Challenges and solutions are included in this study. Finally, the paper predicts future potential of this emerging technology in interior design program.

I. Introduction

In recent years, technology such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) have grown in popularity in educational settings. Its presence and immersive qualities open up new learning opportunities [1] . In addition, the implementation of this technology in education and visual presentation has played a vital role assisting us in visualizing our idea. The current trend is deploying AR, VR and MR in education and visual presentation has become a normal practice in various fields like virtual museum, architectural project and simulated training [ 2 – 5 ]. This technology has existed for more than half a century however it is not widely used in education. Despite these encouraging outcomes, virtual reality technologies have yet to find broad use in education particularly in interior design education.