Exploring Deaf And Hard of Hearing Peoples' Perspectives On Tasks In Augmented Reality: Interacting With 3D Objects And Instructional Comprehension

Tasks in augmented reality (AR), such as 3D interaction and instructional comprehension, are often designed for users with uniform sensory abilities. Such an approach, however, can overlook the more nuanced needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) users who might have reduced auditory perception. To better understand these challenges, our study utilized the single-player AR game Angry Birds AR as a probe to explore how 11 DHH participants and 15 hearing participants experienced AR interactions. Our findings highlight that DHH users prefer interaction based on context, effective haptic cues, audio cue substitutes, and clear instructional design. We, therefore, propose the following design recommendations to enhance the accessibility of AR for DHH users. This includes customizable UI options, modular feedback systems, and virtual avatars for sign language instructions.