From Boxes to Blueprints: An Investigation of User Expectations and Design Strategies for Spatial Augmented Reality UX/UI

Designing complex buildings requires certain precisions to assess real-world feasibility and align stakeholders' expectations. Existing design tools often fail to convey scale and physical presence and are limited by perceived inaccuracies, low visual fidelity, and high costs. This research combines cardboard boxes with current Spatial Augmented Reality (SAR) setups for rapid prototyping, where boxes serve as life-size, physical representations that can be overlaid with digital information to enable real-time design modifications. A thematic study was conducted with fifteen participants involved tasks such as arranging physical boxes to prototype a kitchen layout, labelling the boxes, and conceptualizing SAR interfaces and experiences without considering SAR's technical limitations. Key findings highlight touch-based interfaces and gesture controls, especially with visual cues, as the preferred input methods, optimal projection locations on the front and top of boxes and walls, and carousel-style user interfaces as the most favored design. Further insights contribute toward the development of a comprehensive framework for ubiquitous spatial computing.