A UX-Based Methodology for XR Integration in Industrial Timber Frame Prefabrication

Extended Reality (XR) technologies are increasingly employed to support operators in industrial contexts. However, many projects struggle to move beyond the demonstrator stage or to be adopted in real-world conditions. These limitations are often associated with technocentric approaches that overlook the physical, cognitive, and organizational constraints of real work practices, and that reduce User Experience (UX) to a late-stage usability evaluation. This paper proposes to consider UX as a structuring approach for the integration of XR technologies, centered on operators’ real activities. This approach is explored through an empirical study conducted in an industrial context of timber frame prefabrication. The methodology combines in-situ observation, interviews with operators, specification of user requirements, and user testing in real working conditions with three XR modalities (smartphone, projected laser, and head-mounted display). The results show that smartphone-based augmented reality is incompatible with the requirements of manual work, whereas hands-free devices exhibit better alignment with the activity, at the cost of trade-offs in terms of cognitive workload and informational richness. The study highlights the central role of UX and end-user involvement in achieving sustainable integration of XR technologies.