Exploring AR In-the-Wild: An Autoethnographic Study at a Christmas Market

Abstract

Given the rapid advancements of Augmented Reality (AR) Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs), researchers are increasingly exploring their potential for everyday use, including outdoor and on-the-move settings. However, studies examining the use of AR HMDs in real-world environments remain scarce. Thus, we conducted an autoethnographic study capturing the lived experience of an AR expert using three different AR HMDs in the context of a crowded Christmas market. Our work contributes first-person insights into the experience, limitations, and social implications of interacting with AR HMDs in-the-wild; it shedding light on the social experience of using AR technology in public spaces and outlining design considerations regarding trust, context-aware deployment, and non-user perceptions. We highlight how device form factors, interface behaviors, and environmental components shape interaction quality, user experience, and non-users’ perception and engagement. Our findings emphasize the importance of adaptive interfaces, improved peripheral awareness, and socially transparent device designs suited for public, real-world use.