  In gaming, customizing individual characters, can create personal bonds
between players and their characters. Hence, character customization is a
standard component in many games. While mobile Augmented Reality (AR) games
become popular, to date, no 3D character editor for AR games exists. We
investigate the feasibility of 3D character customization for smartphone-based
AR in an iterative design process.
  Specifically, we present findings from creating AR prototypes in a handheld
AR setting. In a first user study, we found that a tangible AR prototype
resulted in higher hedonistic measures than a camera-based approach. In a
follow up study, we compared the tangible AR prototype with a non-AR
touchscreen version for selection, scaling, translation and rotation tasks in a
3D character customization setting. The tangible AR version resulted in
significantly better results for stimulation and novelty measures than the
non-AR version. At the same time, it maintained a proficient level in pragmatic
measures such as accuracy and efficiency.
