Indoor Wayshowing with Markerless Augmented Reality: Design and Usability Evaluation of a Mobile Navigation Prototype in a University Faculty Building

Newcomers to large institutional buildings often struggle to locate rooms and facilities because signboards and static floor plans provide limited guidance, while satellite positioning is unreliable indoors. This study addresses the problem of indoor wayshowing, the practice of communicating route information to wayfinders, within the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FTMK) at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM). The study pursued three objectives: to examine the spatial characteristics of the faculty environment, to design a mobile augmented reality (AR) wayshowing application based on the identified requirements, and to evaluate the application in terms of usability and user acceptance. A markerless indoor positioning approach was adopted using the Vuforia Area Target feature, with the faculty environment captured through LiDAR scanning and the navigation path computed through the NavMesh feature in Unity. The prototype presents route guidance through a ground-rendered path by default, with an arrow indicator available as an alternative. Fifteen participants completed two wayfinding tasks of differing distances while applying the think aloud protocol, after which they answered the Handheld Augmented Reality Usability Scale (HARUS). All participants completed both tasks successfully. The overall HARUS score was 64.27 out of 100, slightly below the commonly cited benchmark of 68, with manipulability scoring 66.67 and comprehensibility scoring 61.88. Qualitative feedback traced the weaker comprehensibility score to insufficient status indicators, the absence of path occlusion at doorways, and a help panel that relied heavily on text. The findings demonstrate that a functional indoor wayshowing application can be produced with modest resources, and they offer practical design guidance for researchers and institutions intending to deploy AR navigation in complex buildings.

Indoor Wayshowing, Augmented Reality, Markerless Positioning, Usability Evaluation, Handheld Augmented Reality Usability Scale

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