Ping! Your Food is Ready: Comparing Different Notification Techniques in 3D AR Cooking Environment

TL;DR

This study compares visual and audio notification techniques in a 3D AR cooking environment, finding that notifications above objects with localized sounds improve user performance and preference.

Contribution

It introduces an evaluation of notification placement and modality in AR interfaces, highlighting effective strategies for intuitive 3D user interactions.

Findings

Visual notifications above objects with localized audio are most effective.

Participants preferred notifications above objects with audio feedback.

Strategic placement of notifications enhances user performance in AR environments.

Abstract

Implementing visual and audio notifications on augmented reality devices is a crucial element of intuitive and easy-to-use interfaces. In this paper, we explored creating intuitive interfaces through visual and audio notifications. The study evaluated user performance and preference across three conditions: visual notifications in fixed positions, visual notifications above objects, and no visual notifications with monaural sounds. The users were tasked with cooking and serving customers in an open-source Augmented-Reality sandbox environment called ARtisan Bistro. The results indicated that visual notifications above objects combined with localized audio feedback were the most effective and preferred method by participants. The findings highlight the importance of strategic placement of visual and audio notifications in AR, providing insights for engineers and developers to design intuitive 3D user interfaces.