BadgeAR

Fig. 1 shows the BadgeAR interface as seen from another user's device. Fig. 2 shows that as a participant moves further away, only certain information is displayed to prevent digital clutter.

Team formation at large networking events can be a cumbersome process. A colleague, Ke Jing, and I have developed an augmented reality (AR) application to help facilitate social matchmaking. We tested this application within the context of a “hackathon” event where strangers are asked to form a collaborative team on the spot. Our application provides users with an AR interface for sharing and viewing virtual badges populated with salient personal information. The virtual badges follow their owners, and are visible to others. We conducted a series of interviews, usability tests, and focus groups to iterate the design of this interface. Participants favored the ability to prioritize how the app displayed information most relevant for teambuilding such as skills and objectives. Variable information display layouts that dynamically readjust make efficient use of the AR space. Although we focus on hackathons here, we recognize implications for much wider use and plan for a more venue-neutral, generalizable tool. We are excited about the possibilities for this tool and continue to build out features and examine use cases.