Use of a mixed-reality creative environment in design education

Advances in mixed reality (MR) have led to the extensive use of technological forms in education and training, and there is evidence of MR's pedagogical effectiveness. Owing to its ability to foster learning, research on MR and its application in education are considered technological breakthroughs. Design education requires an environment that supports creative activities to help students improve their learning outcomes, making it an appropriate field to explore the incorporation of MR. This study developed a virtual learning environment based on Microsoft HoloLens 2, creating an MR educational setting that enhances design students' learning experience by combining a physical and a virtual environment. Additionally, the study evaluated the impact of MR environment interventions on the creative process and the effect of design students' creativity on the results. Employing an experimental research design, 24 design students were divided into control and experimental groups, each with an equal number of participants. Both groups completed a creative task, with the control group using a traditional creative environment and the latter using an MR creative environment. The experimental results showed that the MR environment is feasible for use in design education. Additionally, the creative outcomes of the experimental group were better than those of the control group, and the students who used the MR environment rated their creative experience more positively. For example, MR intervention stimulated students' personal engagement and learning motivation by providing them with more intelligent and multisensory 3D interactive information. The study also revealed that students' creative processes and outcomes benefited from the MR environment. We explored the advantages of MR educational environments in terms of expanding the environmental dimension in education and valuing the promotion of learners' capabilities, as well as the application of its future developments in education and beyond.