A Comparative Study of Using Augmented vs Virtual Reality in Collaborative Tasks

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Collaborative Systems
• Extended Reality (XR)

Background:

• Extended Reality (XR) technologies offer potential for remote collaboration.
• Optimal selection of XR (Virtual Reality/VR, Augmented Reality/AR) for efficient collaboration remains unclear.
• Understanding XR's impact on collaborative behaviors and outcomes is crucial for design insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare collaboration behaviors and outcomes using Augmented Reality (AR) versus Virtual Reality (VR).
• To provide design insights for selecting appropriate XR technologies for collaborative tasks.
• To investigate the influence of different synchronization levels on XR-mediated collaboration.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 40 participants (20 dyads) performing visual analytics tasks.
• Two experimental conditions: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) with identical equipment and interactions.
• Tasks designed to require low, medium, and high levels of synchronization.

Main Results:

• Collaboration outcomes differed significantly only in high-synchronization tasks, favoring Augmented Reality (AR).
• AR's advantage in high-coupling tasks may be linked to direct partner perception versus avatars in VR.
• No significant differences were found in collaboration dynamics or patterns between AR and VR.

Conclusions:

• For collaborative analytical tasks, the choice between AR and VR does not significantly hinder teamwork.
• Users can select AR or VR based on personal preference or task needs without compromising collaboration.
• AR may offer performance benefits for tasks demanding high synchronization and direct interaction awareness.