Right way to write numbers: designing an augmented reality-based numeracy application for children with learning disabilities using the ADDIE model

Introduction Children with learning disabilities often struggle to learn basic numeracy skills, yet augmented reality (AR)-based tools built for this population are rarely designed based on an empirical assessment of learners’ numeracy profiles. This study developed a web-based AR application that teaches children numbers using the analysis design development implementation evaluation instructional design model grounded in Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning (CTML). Methods A single-group exploratory pilot study was conducted with 70 children recruited from four special schools for children with learning disabilities. A ten-item, paper-based assessment was designed covering five skill areas: visual discrimination, symbol recognition, shape recognition, comparative numerosity, and counting, grouped into three analytical domains. Each child’s baseline profile was used to design interface features, including layout, dot-tracing paths, synchronized audio-visual feedback, and marker-based tracking. The resulting prototype, a WebAR platform, was tested with all participants and followed by a survey measuring their attitudes toward math, engagement, and responses to the AR activity. Results Baseline performance of the sample was uneven across the three analytical domains, with significantly lower visual–symbol–shape accuracy (72.9%) than the comparison (82.9%) and counting (83.2%). This weakness was translated into CTML-derived interface features targeting visual-symbolic processing specifically. Children rated both attitude toward mathematics and liking for AR significantly higher in a survey administered after the AR activity. Discussion These findings demonstrate that a traceable, assessment-based design guided by the CTML interface of a WebAR tool establishes preliminary feasibility and acceptability among children with learning disabilities in a school-based setting in a mathematics learning context.