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Reality and Beyond: Proxemics as a Lens for Designing Handheld Collaborative Augmented Reality

Published: 01 November 2023 Publication History

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) has shown great potential for supporting co-located collaboration. Yet, it is rarely articulated in the design rationales of AR systems that they promote a certain socio-spatial configuration of the users. Learning from proxemics, we argue that such configurations enable and constrain different co-located spatial behaviors with consequences for collaborative activities. We focus specifically on enabling different collaboration styles via the design of Handheld Collaborative Augmented Reality (HCAR) systems. Drawing upon notions of proxemics, we show how different HCAR designs enable different socio-spatial configurations. Through a design exploration, we demonstrate interaction techniques to expand on the notion of collaborative coupling styles by either deliberately designing for aligning with physical reality or going beyond. The main contributions are a proxemics-based conceptual lens and vocabulary for supporting interaction designers in being mindful of the proxemic consequences when developing handheld multi-user AR systems.

Supplementary Material

Video (iss23main-p2926-p-video.mp4)
This is a presentation video of our work accepted at ISS 2023; "Reality and Beyond: Proxemics as a Lens for Designing Handheld Collaborative Augmented Reality". This main contribution of this work is; 1) a conceptual lens, which establishes a common vocabulary for comparison and articulation of collaborative AR systems in terms of their proxemic properties, 2) A broadening of the design space of interaction techniques for co-located collaborative AR, and 3) A discussion aimed to develop a nuanced socio-spatial literacy for understanding trade-offs when designing handheld AR interaction techniques for co-located settings.

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      cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
      Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction  Volume 7, Issue ISS
      December 2023
      482 pages
      EISSN:2573-0142
      DOI:10.1145/3554314
      Issue’s Table of Contents
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      Published: 01 November 2023
      Published in PACMHCI Volume 7, Issue ISS

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      Author Tags

      1. augmented reality
      2. collaboration
      3. interaction
      4. proxemics

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