Preference Between Allocentric and Egocentric 3D Manipulation in a Locally Coupled Configuration

TL;DR

This study compares user preferences for allocentric versus egocentric 3D manipulation on mobile devices, considering translation, rotation, full 6-DOF, contextual cues, and individual axes to inform interface design choices.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into user preferences across different 3D manipulation modes and contextual settings, guiding interface design in locally coupled configurations.

Findings

User preferences vary between allocentric and egocentric modes depending on the task.

Contextual cues influence the preferred manipulation mode.

Different axes of manipulation have distinct user preferences.

Abstract

We study user preference between allocentric and egocentric 3D manipulation on mobile devices, in a configuration where the motion of the device is applied to an object displayed on the device itself. We first evaluate this preference for translations and for rotations alone, then for full 6-DOF manipulation. We also investigate the role of contextual cues by performing this experiment in different 3D scenes. Finally, we look at the specific influence of each manipulation axis. Our results provide guidelines to help interface designers select an appropriate default mapping in this locally coupled configuration.