An Empirical Study on Current Practices and Challenges of Core AR/VR Developers

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications are increasingly integral to modern society. Core AR/VR developers, pivotal in crafting these advanced technologies, face significant challenges throughout the software development lifecycle. In this context, ‘core AR/VR developers’ refers to professionals who actively engage in developing AR/VR technologies, including researchers and developers. We surveyed such professionals to directly understand these challenges and received 48 responses. Our findings categorize the unique challenges into three major stages of SDLC - Design, Implementation, Testing that core AR/VR developers pointed out. These challenges include creating immersive experiences, complexity in 3D interaction, cross-platform compatibility, and reproducing bugs. This study highlights significant AR/VR development obstacles and provides foundational insights for future research to improve development practices and tools in this rapidly evolving field.