Collection Overview

Scientific Reports has launched a Guest-Edited Collection on Extended reality applications in user experience design.

Extended Reality (XR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are transforming user experience design by merging digital information with real-world environments, enabling more intuitive and immersive forms of interaction. As XR and AR technologies evolve, they are opening new possibilities for context-aware interfaces, spatial visualization, and handsfree guidance. For example, in healthcare, AR enables improved surgical navigation, patient education, and immersive therapy, while in education it enhances experiential learning through interactive simulations and real-time visual aids. Yet challenges persist, including ergonomic limitations and the need for coherent interaction models that work across devices and contexts. 

This will be a Collection of original research papers and will be open for submissions from all authors – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Scientific Reports more generally. Narrative review articles are also welcomed to our sister journal, Scientific Reviews. We are welcoming submissions until 29th April 2027.

Comments from the Guest Editors

"Extended reality is increasingly central to human–computer interaction because it reshapes how people perceive, navigate, learn, and make decisions in blended physical–digital environments. As a Guest Editor and VR/HCI researcher studying spatial decision-making and translational training, I am excited by this Collection’s focus on design practices, evaluation methods, and applications across everyday, clinical, and educational settings. It can help establish rigorous, transferable principles for usable, accessible, and context-aware XR while addressing ergonomic and cross-device challenges. Researchers should submit to connect technical innovation with human-centered evidence and help shape effective, trustworthy immersive systems." - Dr. Aryabrata Basu

Why submit to a Collection? 

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors, who are experts in their fields, and In-House Editors and are supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores, and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest. 

Who is involved? 

Guest Editors:

• Aryabrata Basu, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA
• Varun Dutt, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi, India
• Tiansheng Xia, Guangdong University of Technology, China

Internal Team:

• In-House Editor: Dr. Thomas Tischer, Scientific Reports, Germany
• Commissioning Editor: Faija Miah, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
• Managing Editor: Chantale Davies, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK

How can I submit my paper? 

Visit the Collection page to find out more about this Collection and how to submit your article.