How Does Usability Impact Motivation in Augmented Reality Serious Games for Education?

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of usability on motivation in Augmented Reality serious games. As a test-bed, we developed and evaluated a novel application of mobile phone Augmented Reality (AR) for passive solar energy education (AR-SEE). The goal of AR-SEE is to enable students to learn about the science behind architectural design - how passive solar energy design impacts internal temperature and energy usage efficiency. We conducted two pilot studies with 9 teachers and 13 high school students resulting in three development iterations, as well as a study with 36 college students to assess usability, motivation, and learning outcomes. Results of our studies provide insights into usability, motivation, and the impact on learning with AR serious games from which we derive guidelines for designing future AR serious games.