The book Practical Augmented Reality: A Guide to the Technologies, Applications, and Human Factors for AR and VR, I expected to be a technical overview. Instead, it turned into a kind of design manual for my master’s thesis on leveraging AR and IoT to improve the shopping experience with context aware AR glasses. The book helped me connect big technological concepts to very concrete design decisions for my own project.
Seeing AR as “aligned, contextual and intelligent”
Early in the book, Aukstakalnis defines augmented reality as not just overlaying random graphics on the real world, but aligning information with the environment in a spatially contextual and intelligent way.
This sounds simple, but it actually shifted how I thought about my shopping glasses. It is not enough to place floating labels next to products. The system needs to understand where I am, what shelf I am looking at, and which task I am trying to complete, then lock information to those objects. This definition pushed me to think more seriously about IoT integration and precise tracking so that a price, rating, or nutrition label is always attached to the right item in space.
Designing from the human senses outward
The structure of the book also influenced how I plan my thesis. Aukstakalnis starts with the mechanics of sight, hearing and touch, and only then moves on to displays, audio systems, haptics and sensors.
That “inside out” perspective reminded me that my AR glasses concept should begin from human perception, not from whatever hardware is trendy. Reading about depth cues, eye convergence and accommodation, and how easily they can be disturbed by poorly designed displays, made me much more careful about how much information I want to show and at what distances.
For my thesis this means keeping overlays light, avoiding clutter in the central field of view, and respecting comfortable reading distances. It also supports my idea of using short, glanceable cards in the periphery instead of stacking lots of text in front of the user’s eyes.
Translating cross domain case studies into retail
The applications section of the book covers fields like architecture, education, medicine, aerospace and telerobotics.
None of them are about grocery shopping, but a common pattern appears: AR and VR are most powerful when they help people understand complex spatial information, rehearse tasks safely, or make better decisions with contextual data. I realised that retail has the same ingredients. Shelves, wayfinding and product comparisons are all spatial problems with hidden data behind them.
This insight strengthened the core vision of my thesis. My AR and IoT concept is not just about showing coupons in the air. It is about turning the store into an understandable information space, where digital layers explain what is currently invisible: where a product is, how fresh it is, how it fits personal constraints like allergies or budget, and how it compares to alternatives.
Impact on my thesis work
Overall, Practical Augmented Reality gave me three concrete things for my master’s project. First, a precise vocabulary and mental model for AR systems, which helped me write a clearer research question and background section. Second, a checklist of human factor issues that I now plan to address through prototype constraints and user testing. Third, a library of real world examples that prove similar technologies already deliver value in other domains, which I can reference when I argue why AR glasses for shopping are realistic in the near future.
Reading the book was less about copying solutions and more about understanding the hidden structure behind successful AR systems. That structure now guides how I want to combine AR, AI and IoT in an everyday retail scenario without forgetting the humans wearing the glasses.
AI Disclaimer
This blog post was polished with the assistance of AI.
