ARbility: re-inviting older wheelchair users to in-store shopping via wearable augmented reality

Engaging in outdoor daily activities such as shopping is an essential, yet challenging activity for older wheelchair users (OWU). However, little is investigated on how to augment the OWU’s independence during their in-person shopping experiences, specifically by addressing their physical conditions. We first conducted semi-structured interviews and a large-scale survey with 77 people in total to discover OWU’s needs and pain points in comparison with those of general older adults or wheelchair population. Based on these findings, we propose ARbility, a wearable AR-based shopping system for OWU which supports product recognition from seated positions on wheelchairs and one-stop shopping functionality for minimizing physical loads. In our user evaluation with 13 OWU in a real-world environment, ARbility demonstrated 33% decrease in arm movement, with the participants validating its efficacy and usability in qualitative interviews. We conclude with implications on how a wearable AR-based shopping system supports the active aging and inclusion of OWU.