Expert-Based Review and Evaluation of the Gamified Mixed Reality Application From a User Experience Perspective

Areej Banjar; Sultan Alharthi; Sarah Alturkistani; Mutahira Lone; Xuanhui Xu; Abraham Campbell

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-98080-0_8

Expert-Based Review and Evaluation of the Gamified Mixed Reality Application From a User Experience Perspective

Areej Banjar
, Sultan Alharthi
, Sarah Alturkistani
, Mutahira Lone
, Xuanhui Xu
, Abraham Campbell

School of Medicine

Umm Al-Qura University
University College Dublin
University of Jeddah

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference proceeding › peer-review

Abstract

This paper presents an expert-based review and evaluation of a gamified Mixed Reality (MR) application designed for dental education. The application designed and developed based on proposed theoretical and practical gamified MR frameworks, with the goal of enhancing the learning experience by employing the enhanced ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model with gamification (ARCS+G) to further increase motivation. The evaluation focuses on optimizing the application’s usability and, consequently, improving the user experience (UX). It also emphasizes the iterative process to ensure a user-centered design using rapid application development (RAD). This gamified MR application allows dentistry students to interact with holographic 3D dental models, providing an immersive and interactive learning environment integrated with game elements through the use of Microsoft HoloLens 2. The evaluation involved 25 experts from various fields including Computer Science, medical and health science, and game development, and was conducted in two rounds. The results from usability tests and UX assessments indicate that the application is effective in enhancing learning engagement, though areas for improvement were identified, particularly in user interface design and interaction flow. The findings contribute to the growing field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and the application of immersive technologies in education, offering a framework for future developments in gamified MR applications.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Immersive Learning Research Network - 11th International Conference, iLRN 2025, Revised Selected Papers
Editors	Jule M. Krüger, Matthew Schmidt, Anastasios Mikropoulos, George Koutromanos, Daniela Pedrosa, Dennis Beck, Stylianos Mystakidis, Genevieve Smith-Nunes, Anasol Peña-Rios, Jonathon Richter
Publisher	Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages	111-128
Number of pages	18
ISBN (Print)	9783031980794
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-98080-0_8
Publication status	Published - 2026
Event	11th Annual International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network, iLRN 2025 - Chicago, United States Duration: 15 Jun 2025 → 19 Jun 2025

Publication series

Name	Communications in Computer and Information Science
Volume	2598 CCIS
ISSN (Print)	1865-0929
ISSN (Electronic)	1865-0937

Conference

Conference	11th Annual International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network, iLRN 2025
Country/Territory	United States
City	Chicago
Period	15/06/25 → 19/06/25

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 4 Quality Education

Keywords

Dental Education
Expert Evaluation
Gamification
Mixed Reality
User Experience

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-98080-0_8

Cite this

Banjar, A., Alharthi, S., Alturkistani, S., Lone, M., Xu, X., & Campbell, A. (2026). Expert-Based Review and Evaluation of the Gamified Mixed Reality Application From a User Experience Perspective. In J. M. Krüger, M. Schmidt, A. Mikropoulos, G. Koutromanos, D. Pedrosa, D. Beck, S. Mystakidis, G. Smith-Nunes, A. Peña-Rios, & J. Richter (Eds.), Immersive Learning Research Network - 11th International Conference, iLRN 2025, Revised Selected Papers (pp. 111-128). (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 2598 CCIS). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-98080-0_8

Banjar, Areej ; Alharthi, Sultan ; Alturkistani, Sarah et al. / Expert-Based Review and Evaluation of the Gamified Mixed Reality Application From a User Experience Perspective. Immersive Learning Research Network - 11th International Conference, iLRN 2025, Revised Selected Papers. editor / Jule M. Krüger ; Matthew Schmidt ; Anastasios Mikropoulos ; George Koutromanos ; Daniela Pedrosa ; Dennis Beck ; Stylianos Mystakidis ; Genevieve Smith-Nunes ; Anasol Peña-Rios ; Jonathon Richter. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2026. pp. 111-128 (Communications in Computer and Information Science).

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abstract = "This paper presents an expert-based review and evaluation of a gamified Mixed Reality (MR) application designed for dental education. The application designed and developed based on proposed theoretical and practical gamified MR frameworks, with the goal of enhancing the learning experience by employing the enhanced ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model with gamification (ARCS+G) to further increase motivation. The evaluation focuses on optimizing the application{\textquoteright}s usability and, consequently, improving the user experience (UX). It also emphasizes the iterative process to ensure a user-centered design using rapid application development (RAD). This gamified MR application allows dentistry students to interact with holographic 3D dental models, providing an immersive and interactive learning environment integrated with game elements through the use of Microsoft HoloLens 2. The evaluation involved 25 experts from various fields including Computer Science, medical and health science, and game development, and was conducted in two rounds. The results from usability tests and UX assessments indicate that the application is effective in enhancing learning engagement, though areas for improvement were identified, particularly in user interface design and interaction flow. The findings contribute to the growing field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and the application of immersive technologies in education, offering a framework for future developments in gamified MR applications.",

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Banjar, A, Alharthi, S, Alturkistani, S, Lone, M, Xu, X & Campbell, A 2026, Expert-Based Review and Evaluation of the Gamified Mixed Reality Application From a User Experience Perspective. in JM Krüger, M Schmidt, A Mikropoulos, G Koutromanos, D Pedrosa, D Beck, S Mystakidis, G Smith-Nunes, A Peña-Rios & J Richter (eds), Immersive Learning Research Network - 11th International Conference, iLRN 2025, Revised Selected Papers. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol. 2598 CCIS, Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, pp. 111-128, 11th Annual International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network, iLRN 2025, Chicago, United States, 15/06/25. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-98080-0_8

Expert-Based Review and Evaluation of the Gamified Mixed Reality Application From a User Experience Perspective. / Banjar, Areej; Alharthi, Sultan; Alturkistani, Sarah et al.
Immersive Learning Research Network - 11th International Conference, iLRN 2025, Revised Selected Papers. ed. / Jule M. Krüger; Matthew Schmidt; Anastasios Mikropoulos; George Koutromanos; Daniela Pedrosa; Dennis Beck; Stylianos Mystakidis; Genevieve Smith-Nunes; Anasol Peña-Rios; Jonathon Richter. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2026. p. 111-128 (Communications in Computer and Information Science; Vol. 2598 CCIS).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedings › Conference proceeding › peer-review

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AU - Alharthi, Sultan

AU - Alturkistani, Sarah

AU - Lone, Mutahira

AU - Xu, Xuanhui

AU - Campbell, Abraham

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PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

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AB - This paper presents an expert-based review and evaluation of a gamified Mixed Reality (MR) application designed for dental education. The application designed and developed based on proposed theoretical and practical gamified MR frameworks, with the goal of enhancing the learning experience by employing the enhanced ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction) model with gamification (ARCS+G) to further increase motivation. The evaluation focuses on optimizing the application’s usability and, consequently, improving the user experience (UX). It also emphasizes the iterative process to ensure a user-centered design using rapid application development (RAD). This gamified MR application allows dentistry students to interact with holographic 3D dental models, providing an immersive and interactive learning environment integrated with game elements through the use of Microsoft HoloLens 2. The evaluation involved 25 experts from various fields including Computer Science, medical and health science, and game development, and was conducted in two rounds. The results from usability tests and UX assessments indicate that the application is effective in enhancing learning engagement, though areas for improvement were identified, particularly in user interface design and interaction flow. The findings contribute to the growing field of human-computer interaction (HCI) and the application of immersive technologies in education, offering a framework for future developments in gamified MR applications.

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Banjar A, Alharthi S, Alturkistani S, Lone M, Xu X, Campbell A. Expert-Based Review and Evaluation of the Gamified Mixed Reality Application From a User Experience Perspective. In Krüger JM, Schmidt M, Mikropoulos A, Koutromanos G, Pedrosa D, Beck D, Mystakidis S, Smith-Nunes G, Peña-Rios A, Richter J, editors, Immersive Learning Research Network - 11th International Conference, iLRN 2025, Revised Selected Papers. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. 2026. p. 111-128. (Communications in Computer and Information Science). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-98080-0_8