Augmented Creativity - Bridging the real and virtual worlds to enhance creative play

Augmented Reality (AR) holds unique and promising potential to bridge between real-world activities and digital experiences, allowing users to engage their imagination and boost their creativity. We propose the concept of Augmented Creativity as employing AR on modern mobile devices to enhance real-world creative activities, support education, and open new interaction possibilities. We present six prototype applications that explore and develop Augmented Creativity in different ways, cultivating creativity through AR interactivity. Our coloring book app bridges coloring and computer-generated animation by allowing children to create their own character design in an AR setting. Our music apps provide a tangible way for children to explore different music styles and instruments in order to arrange their own version of popular songs. In the gaming domain, we show how to transform passive game interaction into active real-world movement that requires coordination and cooperation between players, and how AR can be applied to city-wide gaming concepts. We employ the concept of Augmented Creativity to authoring interactive narratives with an interactive storytelling framework. Finally, we examine how Augmented Creativity can provide a more compelling way to understand complex concepts, such as computer programming.