GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Under the provisions of the regulations for the degree
MASTER OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
on
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST
West Architecture 155
Qun Liu
will present a thesis defense entitled,
"ATHomeAR: An Augmented Reality Simulation Tool for Training Occupational Therapy Students in Home Assessment and Modification"
Advisor:
Dr. Leila Aflatoony, Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design
Committee:
Tim Purdy, Georgia Tech School of Industrial Design
Jon Sanford, Georgia State University
Faculty and students are invited to attend this presentation.
Abstract
Occupational therapy (OT) students often have limited opportunities to practice home assessment and accessibility modification planning in realistic contexts, particularly when fieldwork exposure or access to authentic home environments is constrained. This thesis presents ATHomeAR, an augmented reality (AR) learning tool designed to support OT students’ learning in home assessment, environmental modification planning, and decision-making in realistic contexts. We used a mixed-methods approach to identify learner difficulties in home assessment and to translate these findings into the design of a mid-fidelity mobile AR prototype. The prototype was then evaluated with attention to usability and task-anchored confidence in core home assessment skills. Findings suggest that the prototype was usable and showed potential to support contextual evaluation and practice-relevant decision-making during home assessment tasks. This thesis also outlines design implications for using AR to support contextual evaluation, option comparison, recommendation planning, and confidence-building in home assessment education.
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