HiveFive360: Extending the VR Gaze Guidance Technique HiveFive to Highlight Out-Of-FOV Targets

Modern display technologies, particularly those supporting 360° content, are increasingly used for immersive experiences in a variety of domains. However, information outside of the user’s field of view (FOV) may be easily overlooked. To address this, guiding cues can be provided to effectively direct attention. Subtle and diegetic cues are particularly effective in keeping the coherence and immersion of the presented content. HiveFive is one of the few diegetic highlighting techniques. It effectively highlights objects by attracting the user’s attention with swarm-like motion. However, HiveFive is restricted to in-FOV target highlighting. This work presents the novel technique HiveFive360, an extension of HiveFive that enables it to guide users to out-of-FOV targets. HiveFive360 is evaluated in a user study against FlyingARrow and Subtle Gaze Direction VR regarding completion time, sense of presence and task load. HiveFive360 was found to effectively guide users in various environments without excessive distraction or task load.