Where Did You Want that Alligator?: A Heuristic for Choosing Augmented or Virtual Reality for Environmental Communication

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are very different forms of media that are commonly grouped under the term extended reality (XR). This paper examines the differences of AR and VR and develops a heuristic for identifying what may be the more appropriate media form for a project. To create this heuristic, I review literature on AR and VR and present a case study where I simultaneous designed and developed AR and VR apps with similar audiences, goals, and topics. This heuristic guides designers on practical considerations of affordances, access, and asset generation as well as interaction considerations of attention to place versus alteration, attention to re-envisioning versus realism, and narrative contextualization.