Thesis Defence: Exploring the Effect of Viewing Attributes of Mobile AR Interfaces on Remote Collaborative and Competitive Tasks

Nelusha Nugegoda, supervised by Dr. Patricia Lasserre and Dr. Khalad Hasan, will defend their thesis titled “Exploring the Effect of Viewing Attributes of Mobile AR Interfaces on Remote Collaborative and Competitive Tasks” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science.

An abstract for Nelusha Nugegoda’s thesis is included below.

Defences are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Registration is not required for in person defences.

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ABSTRACT

Mobile devices have the potential to facilitate remote tasks through Augmented Reality (AR) solutions by integrating digital information into the real world. Although prior studies have explored Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) for co-located collaboration, none have investigated the impact of various viewing attributes, such as target object viewing angles, synchronization styles, and having a secondary small screen showing other users current view in the MAR environment that can influence remote task performance. In this thesis, I explore five techniques considering these attributes, specifically designed for two modes of remote tasks: collaborative and competitive. Through a user study, I examine the efficiency, user preferences, and strategies users employ for each technique for both remote tasks. Results indicate users’ optimal performance and preference for the technique that allows asynchronous viewing of object manipulations on the small screen for both tasks. Finally, I present a set of design recommendations and insights for future application and interface design in this domain.