Improving Ergonomic Viewing of Spatial XR Workspaces Through 2D Rotational Assistance

Extended Reality unlocks the capability to create virtual workspaces that address and exceed the limitations of existing physical multi-monitor arrangements. We extend the ergonomic benefits of virtual workspaces by applying rotational assistance based on user gaze transitions between displays - meaning as a user looks towards a given display, the workspace would counter-rotate to reduce the amount of head/neck rotation required to view said display. Where prior work examined rotational assistance on one axis (horizontal) we extend this to movements across two axes, examining its impact on horizontal, vertical, and mixed arrangements of display. We found in a user study (n=20) rotational assistance improves ergonomic comfort, decreases necessary head/neck movement, improves workload, and decreases fatigue when viewing wide and tall virtual display spaces, further motivating the transition from physical to virtual displays for productivity.