Does overlay field of view in head-mounted displays affect spatial memorization?. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Caluya, Nicko R.; Plopski, Alexander; Sandor, Christian; Fujimoto, Yuichiro; Kanbara, Masayuki; Kato, Hirokazu
• Is Part Of: Computers & graphics. Volume 102(2022)
• Page Start: 554
• Page End: 565
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: Augmented reality -- Spatial memory -- Head-mounted displays; Computer graphics -- Periodicals; 006.6
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cag.2021.09.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0097-8493

Abstract

Abstract: One of the main targets of criticism of head-mounted displays (HMDs) is the field of view (FOV) size, whether in virtual or augmented reality. This limitation is prominent with optical see-through head-mounted displays (OST-HMD), as those with narrow overlay FOV (OFOV) sizes only provide a small window to view virtual objects. We investigated if restricting this OFOV negatively affects a user's ability to memorize spatial locations in a simulation of a work environment, and consequently, long-term memory transfer to an equivalent scenario in the real world two days later. To find empirical evidence, we conducted a within-subjects experiment with 18 participants performing in three phases with an OST-HMD, simulated on an immersive HMD. For each phase, they viewed the training scenario with a different OFOV size of the augmentable area (30°, 70°, 110° diagonal). Results from recall tests showed that smaller OFOV size did not significantly affect user's performance on both short-term and transfer tests, but HMD data revealed that users rotated their heads less with a 110° OFOV. We also found that proximity of objects to memorize had an interaction effect with smaller OFOV sizes. Our findings could have implications on the design and HMD choices of augmented training. Graphical abstract: Highlights: We investigate the effects of three overlay FOV (OFOV) sizes on spatial memorization. We highlight the impact of OFOV and object proximity on memorization. OFOV size did not affect spatial memorization, but wide OFOV reduced head rotation. Our results imply that a larger OFOV may not necessarily benefit training outcomes.