Evaluating the Effectiveness of Visual Guidance for Out-of-View Object Localization using Mixed Reality Head-Mounted Displays

Navigating and interacting effectively with virtual content in Mixed Reality (MR) environments poses significant challenges, particularly when localizing objects outside the observer’s field of view (FoV). While existing MR approaches can provide visual information to guide the user’s attention towards these objects, their efficacy has predominantly been measured through task completion times or the efficacy in their localization. In this work, we explore the effectiveness of visualization techniques used to convey information to the users of this technology in situations that require quick reaction times. A user study involving 24 participants served to investigate the responsiveness of participants when performing search and object identification tasks. Results from this study show that visualization techniques influence user responsiveness, contributing to better understanding how these strategies impact perception and task efficiency.