Towards a taxonomy of design options for augmented reality-based remote service business models

Purpose:

The aim of this paper is to develop design options for Augmented Reality (AR)-based remote service business models to support the implementation of AR technology for remote services currently taking place in the manufacturing industry.

Methodology:

The design options were developed using a qualitative content analysis based on the results of a systematic literature review and on focus group discussions with 19 service-responsible industry experts from 12 German manufacturing companies.

Results:

The application of a conceptual approach to taxonomy development resulted in a novel morphological framework with a total of 18 dimensions, each with two to six distinct characteristics representing the targeted design options of AR-based remote service business models.

The theoretical contribution:

Since previous research on AR for remote services has largely neglected the business model perspective, this work makes a significant contribution to this scarcely explored research field by providing a systematic basis for describing and classifying such business models in terms of their design.

Practical implications:

The results provide industrial practice with the most important aspects to consider when designing AR-based remote service business models.