Enhancing User Engagement Through Aesthetic Experience in Augmented Reality Comics

Augmented Reality (AR) comics are a new genre of digital storytelling, bringing together immersive technology and visual narratives to offer engaging and interactive reading experiences. AR is being increasingly used in education, cultural heritage, gaming, tourism, and digital media but little research has systematically explored the impact of aesthetic experience and immersive interaction on user engagement in AR comic environments. The present study attempts to fill this gap by systematically reviewing 37 Scopus-indexed publications to summarise the current knowledge on user experiences in AR-based applications. The analysis revealed three major themes: Immersive Engagement, Aesthetic Experience and Interactive Storytelling. The findings suggest that Immersive Engagement is a central mechanism for user engagement. Interactivity, presence, participation and flow experiences enhance cognitive, emotional and behavioural engagement. AR technology allows users to actively participate in digital content, which means sustained attention and meaningful engagement. The second theme, Aesthetic Experience, highlights the importance of visual appeal, sensory stimulation, spatial visualisation and emotional resonance in forming positive perceptions of users. High quality visual design and immersive aesthetics are important factors in enjoyment, satisfaction and emotional attachment to AR content. The third theme, Interactive Storytelling, demonstrates how narrative immersion, user agency, and participatory content exploration enhance the effectiveness of storytelling. By combining narrative structures with AR features, the consumption of content becomes active engagement with the story, whereby users can co-create meaning through interaction. In general, the review implies that aesthetic experience acts as a mediating mechanism for immersive interaction to improve user engagement in AR comics. The study suggests a conceptual framework that immersive interaction influences aesthetic experience, which in turn improves engagement outcomes. These findings contribute to the growing discourse of immersive media and digital storytelling by providing theoretical insights into AR comic design and practical implications for educators, designers, publishers, and creative industries who want to build more engaging and aesthetically meaningful AR narrative experiences

Augmented Reality Comics, Aesthetic Experience, Immersive Engagement, Digital Storytelling

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