Spatial Bar: Exploring Window Switching Techniques for Large Virtual Displays

TL;DR

This paper investigates window-switching techniques for large virtual displays using head-worn devices, focusing on eye tracking and spatial interfaces to improve efficiency and usability in augmented reality environments.

Contribution

It introduces a Spatial Bar interface leveraging eye tracking and spatial cues to enhance window management in virtual displays, demonstrating improved switching performance.

Findings

Gaze coupled with teleportation resulted in the fastest window-switching times.

Using eye tracking and spatial cues improved usability in virtual display management.

The approach is particularly effective when windows are far from the Spatial Bar.

Abstract

Virtual displays provided through head-worn displays (HWDs) offer users large screen space for productivity, but managing this space effectively presents challenges. This paper explores how to enhance window-switching strategies for virtual displays by leveraging eye tracking provided by HWDs and underutilized spaces around the main display area. We investigate the efficiency and usability of different cursor behaviors and selection modes in a Spatial Bar interface for window-switching tasks in augmented reality environments. Results show gaze coupled with teleport led to the quickest window-switching times, particularly in tasks where the original cursor position or the target window was far from the Spatial Bar.