Behavioral Measures of Copresence in Co-located Mixed Reality.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality
• Social Computing

Background:

• Copresence in mixed reality is crucial but often relies on subjective measures.
• Existing methods have limitations in capturing the full user experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a novel protocol for measuring copresence in co-located mixed reality settings.
• To combine subjective and objective behavioral measures for a comprehensive assessment.
• To evaluate the impact of visual feedback on collaborators' activity.

Main Methods:

• Developed a protocol to collect behavioral data (errors, gaze, interpersonal distance, timing) during a co-located mixed reality task.
• Participants navigated a virtual environment, avoiding obstacles.
• Combined behavioral measures with subjective questionnaire data.

Main Results:

• The protocol successfully captured objective behavioral changes related to copresence.
• Visual feedback was shown to significantly affect both subjective and objective measures.
• Demonstrated the protocol's capability in assessing user experience in mixed reality.

Conclusions:

• The proposed protocol offers a robust method for quantifying copresence in mixed reality.
• Behavioral measures provide valuable insights complementing subjective reports.
• This approach enhances the understanding of social dynamics in shared virtual environments.