A comprehensive on-site authoring tool for creating augmented reality technical documentation (STAAR-TECH)

• Simplifying authoring helps non-experts to create AR technical documentation • We introduced Minimal AR for optimized AR info, but prior tools do not support it • We propose STAAR-TECH, an AR authoring tool aligned with the Minimal AR approach • We validate STAAR-TECH’s effectiveness through a comparative user study • Results show that STAAR-TECH is a highly suitable tool for AR manual creation This study aims to validate STAAR-TECH, an Augmented Reality (AR) authoring tool for technical documentation designed for end users without expertise in AR development. Previous research on AR authoring tools has primarily focused on simplifying interfaces and interactions to enhance usability. However, these tools are inadequate for applying the Minimal AR authoring approach, according to which the information provided through AR visual assets should be the minimum needed to accomplish the task. The focus of this study is to propose an authoring tool that comprehensively adheres to this approach, ensuring the selection and customization of visual assets and their properties, which are essential for optimally conveying all information types according to the literature. To validate its effectiveness, we conducted a comparative user study with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Guides as baseline, involving 32 participants using HoloLens. We measured the authoring performance, the perceived workload, and the user experience while using both tools. Our findings confirmed that STAAR-TECH is a highly suitable tool for AR manual creation. Participants appreciated its extensive visual asset customization and flexibility, reinforcing its potential as an effective solution for AR authoring.