Data Visualisation Trends in Mobile Augmented Reality Applications

Abstract

According to Google Trends, mobile augmented reality (AR) apps will, after a brief hype-associated peak and decline, show again a more steady growth in the near future. Indeed, a review of currently available mobile AR apps suggests that they are embracing practical uses instead of simply showing off the capabilities of AR. Many of these apps are making information more ubiquitous without making the user necessarily aware of the data's origins, using graphics to represent multiple datasets. There has been however little research focusing on the trends in AR and the types of data visualisations used in mobile AR. The purpose of this paper is to fill that void by presenting an analysis of currently popular mobile AR apps on the market. Our findings from this small-scale investigation give an indication of the types of visualisation styles used in current mobile AR apps and highlight suggestions for how to make the information presented more relevant, for example by using better filtering methods.