A User Study on the Comparison of View Interfaces for VR-AR Communication in XR Remote Collaboration

Abstract

Previous studies have investigated which context-sharing interfaces are effective in improving task performance; however, consistent results have yet to be found. In this study, we developed a convenient remote collaboration system that provides multiple context-sharing interfaces in a single platform (2D video, 360 degrees video, and 3D reconstruction view). All interfaces can reflect live updates of environmental changes, and we aimed to clarify the effect of the interface on the quality of remote collaboration. Thirty participants were recruited to perform a target-finding-and-placing scenario. Using both objective and subjective metrics, we compared the task performance among the three interface conditions. The results showed that participants completed the task faster and reported a better collaborative experience in the 3D interface condition. Moreover, we found a strong preference for the 3D view interface. These results suggest that providing 3D reconstructed spatial information can enable remote experts to instruct local workers more effectively.