THE AVION
B2 Technology
Is This the Real Life? Is This Mixed Reality?
UX Corner
We are graduate students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different techniques typically used by Embry-Riddle students.
RUX Lab Team Graduate Researchers Virtual environments (VE) come in many shapes and sizes. There are different types of VEs such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). People interact with these technologies in very different ways, but sometimes these terms are used interchangeably. So what do they mean? VR is typically a head-mounted display that fills someone's vision. Most VR headsets today, such as the HTC Vive, track the user in space using multiple sensor boxes as well as track the controllers used to interact with the headsets. VR creates the most realistic feeling of immersion in the virtual world, but because the device fits over your eyes and your hands are taken up by controllers, you lose the ability to see or interact with anything other than the machine. AR on the other side overlays virtual information in the real or physical world. Google Glass was one of the first widespread forms of AR; this device was similar to a pair of glasses. However, a small transparent screen was placed in the upper right corner of the right eye that would show information. MR merges VR and AR by tracking the user in their environment and projecting the virtual information on the physical world. This allows users to open a virtual projection and place it in one area of their environment. If the user looks away, the window does not follow their field of view, it stays at the specific location and reappears when the user looks back. Commanding the window to follow them can be done as well. One of the most popular mixed
Photo Courtesy: RUX Lab
Photo Courtesy: RUX Lab
The Microsoft HoloLens and clicker.
The “Bloom” gesture was one of the most intuitive gestures.
reality headsets on the market currently is the Microsoft HoloLens. Students could benefit from using MR devices, such as the HoloLens. The HoloLens is capable of common office functions that students usually do on their desktop or laptop. Some of these functions include browsing the internet, composing emails, writing papers with Word, and creating presentations with PowerPoint. Although we’re not good at it, we all love to multitask. The capability of MR devices, like the HoloLens, allow for multitasking as well. Students could place different apps in different locations in the virtual space around them. For instance, to work on a research project, you could put the Word document in front of you, the corresponding PowerPoint presentation to your right, and the literature search to your left. You can access these things all at the same with just the turn of your head. Apps can even be placed on the floor or ceiling if you are feeling creative. When the RUX lab evaluated the user experience of the HoloLens with students, we found that the HoloLens had pros and cons while being used in an office setting. Students found the HoloLens reasonably easy to use, intuitive to
multitask in different windows, and enjoyed using gestures, like the “Bloom,” to interact with the virtual environment. However, students had issues typing text, stating that it was slow, inaccurate, and not desirable for typing emails or documents. To type using the virtual keyboard, you have to use your finger to “tap” on each letter, one at a time. It is not surprising that students preferred to use Cortana to type with voice-to-text. Other challenges included resizing app windows, accurately aiming and selecting items with the cursor, and scrolling within a window. Additionally, students said their arm and hand were tired from holding it up to make the gestures. To follow up on these student reactions, we conducted two more studies examining the problematic gestures of typing and window manipulation. Typing was compared using either a clicker tool or a hand gesture input method. Students typed 20 phrases using each method while we monitored time and errors. We found that participants typed significantly faster with the clicker device but were just as accurate as when using the hand gesture method. The clicker also was seen as more natural to use
compared to the gesture method. To test how well students can use the hand gestures to manipulate windows in the virtual environment, we conducted another study to see how well students could make each gesture with no practice and then again after practice playing a couple of games. Three main gestures were examined - the select gesture, drag gesture, and the open window, or “Bloom” gesture. We found that all of the gestures were doable with no practice, but some were slower to learn than others. Aligning and resizing windows, for example, took almost a minute to do -- compare that to how long it takes you to resize a window on your computer screen! Virtual environments have come a long way from the time where people could only imagine interacting with objects to where they can play games and interact with people from around the world in a virtual space. As this technology becomes more widespread, the potential is realized and can be advanced for more uses. As of now, this technology is mainly used for entertainment and some industrial applications. As people use it more, it will start showing up in our home environment and even on our smartphones; some smartphones can already use AR. For example, IKEA allows you to put a virtual piece of furniture in the picture of a real environment to see how it will look even before you buy it. With MR, there is potential for interaction of people from around the world in one physical space working together and when they are done all they would have to do is log off and return to their respective office or home. MR could potentially be used for creating a custom design for the interior of your home without you having to make any physical changes to it. There are many possibilities for the use of this technology, but until its capabilities are fully realized it will continue to stay only as an item of novelty.
If you would like to suggest a device or technology for us to evaluate for this column, then please use the QR code below and leave your suggestions there.