Blending the Worlds: World-Fixed Visual Appearances in Automotive Augmented Reality

TL;DR

This study investigates how to optimally visualize world-fixed points of interest in automotive augmented reality to enhance passenger experience and awareness, providing guidelines based on user preferences and acceptance.

Contribution

It presents empirical findings from a field study on visualization parameters for in-car AR POIs and offers UX-guidelines for their visual appearance and behavior.

Findings

User preferences for AR visualization parameters identified.

General acceptance of AR functionality among users.

Guidelines for designing AR POIs in vehicles derived.

Abstract

With the transition to fully autonomous vehicles, non-driving related tasks (NDRTs) become increasingly important, allowing passengers to use their driving time more efficiently. In-car Augmented Reality (AR) gives the possibility to engage in NDRTs while also allowing passengers to engage with their surroundings, for example, by displaying world-fixed points of interest (POIs). This can lead to new discoveries, provide information about the environment, and improve locational awareness. To explore the optimal visualization of POIs using in-car AR, we conducted a field study (N = 38) examining six parameters: positioning, scaling, rotation, render distance, information density, and appearance. We also asked for intention of use, preferred seat positions and preferred automation level for the AR function in a post-study questionnaire. Our findings reveal user preferences and general acceptance of the AR functionality. Based on these results, we derived UX-guidelines for the visual appearance and behavior of location-based POIs in in-car AR.