Effects of displays on a direct reaching task: A comparative study of head mounted display and stereoscopic widescreen display

This study was conducted to investigate the virtual display effects on direct interaction performance metrics such as accuracy, task completion time, and comfort. Eighteen participants performed tapping (pointing) tasks in the coronal plane by directly reaching for tapping targets at three egocentric distance levels, with three indices of difficulty at each egocentric distance. The position data and severity of cybersickness symptoms were collected with a motion system and a symptom questionnaire, respectively. The results indicated that accuracy was higher with the stereoscopic widescreen display than with the head mounted display. However, no significant differences in task completion time, throughput, and cybersickness were observed between the two VR displays. In addition, increasing the egocentric distance improved accuracy and lengthened the task completion time, whereas increasing the task difficulty lengthened the task completion time but did not affect the accuracy. The findings are important and informative for users in choosing between the two virtual reality displays. Generally, the stereoscopic widescreen display can be recommended for tasks requiring high egocentric distance accuracy in the coronal plane. Furthermore, developers may refer to these findings in designing interfaces that allow a more natural way of interaction for users.
Source: International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics - Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research