Results from a user-centred critical incidents study for guiding future implementation of augmented reality in automotive maintenance [An article from: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics]

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Description:
This exploratory study was carried out in the early phases of an R & D project for the implementation of an augmented reality-based (AR-based) job aid for automotive service technicians (ASTs). Prior to the study, key stakeholder groups had little clarity on the actual goal of the future system. Strong emphasis was placed on providing technicians with step-by-step guidance during repairs to new models of vehicles. AR was also assumed to be useful as a visualization aid for inaccessible vehicle parts. An ergonomic study was proposed to help clarify the high-level end users' requirements. The study, on 11 mechanics, was done using the critical incident technique. The incidents were collected through interviews. The results showed that the major difficulty in ASTs' activity was diagnosing electronic components on new models of vehicles. Other critical factors appeared in technicians' verbal reports, e.g., physical and organisational difficulties. The visualization of inaccessible vehicle parts, which was stakeholders' primary concern, only seemed problematic in one case. On the basis of these results, we discuss the applicability of AR to ASTs' work as well as a few perspectives of the study. Relevance to industry: There exist a number of job aids for ASTs, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages. This paper focuses on the advantages of AR to assist ASTs' activity. We also report an empirical study on ASTs' major difficulties with new models of vehicles.