Exploring Audio Interfaces for Vertical Guidance in Augmented Reality via Hand-Based Feedback.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Augmented Reality (AR)
• Auditory Displays

Background:

• Assistive technologies for visually impaired individuals offer insights for broader audio interface applications.
• Standardizing audio interfaces in AR is crucial for effective guidance tasks.
• Sonification, the use of sound to convey information, is under-explored in AR guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate pitch-based sonification methods for vertical guidance in augmented reality (AR).
• To assess the applicability of audio AR guidance for a general population beyond assistive technology contexts.
• To identify sonification techniques that optimize accuracy and minimize user workload.

Main Methods:

• User experiments were conducted in real-life scenarios focusing on vertical guidance without visual feedback.
• Hand-navigation assessments were used to test proposed sonification methods.
• Feedback was incorporated from a digital accessibility expert with visual impairment.

Main Results:

• Sonification methods that did not require memorizing pitch demonstrated superior accuracy.
• These methods also resulted in lower self-reported user workload.
• User experiments (N=19) validated the effectiveness of selected audio AR guidance techniques.

Conclusions:

• Audio AR holds significant potential for enhancing user performance in various guidance scenarios.
• Sonification methods avoiding pitch memorization are recommended for AR vertical guidance.
• The findings support the broader application of audio AR in diverse fields, from gaming to object retrieval.