Analysis of Immersive Mid-Air Sketching Behavior, Sketch Quality, and
User Experience in Design Ideation Tasks
23rd IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR), IEEE Computer Society, (2024)DOI: 10.1109/ISMAR62088.2024.00041
Abstract
Immersive 3D sketching systems empower users with tools to create
sketches directly in the air around themselves, in all three dimensions,
using only simple hand gestures. These sketching systems
have the potential to greatly extend the interactive capabilities
of immersive learning environments. The perceptual challenges of
Virtual Reality (VR), however, combined with the ergonomic and
cognitive challenges of creating mid-air 3D sketches reduce the effectiveness
of immersive sketching used for problem-solving, reflection,
and to capture fleeting ideas. We contribute to the understanding
of the potential challenges of mid-air sketching systems in
educational settings, where expression is valued higher than accuracy,
and sketches are used to support problem-solving and to explain
abstract concepts. We conducted an empirical study with 36
participants with different spatial abilities to investigate if the way
that people sketch in mid-air is dependent on the goal of the sketch.
We compare the technique, quality, efficiency, and experience of
participants as they create 3D mid-air sketches in three different
tasks. We examine how users approach mid-air sketching when the
sketches they create serve to convey meaning and when sketches are
merely reproductions of geometric models created by someone else.
We found that in tasks aimed at expressing personal design ideas,
between starting and ending strokes, participants moved their heads
more and their controllers at higher velocities and created strokes
in faster times than in tasks aimed at recreating 3D geometric figures.
They reported feeling less time pressure to complete sketches
but redacted a larger percentage of strokes. These findings serve to
inform the design of creative virtual environments that support reasoning
and reflection through mid-air sketching. With this work, we
aim to strengthen the power of immersive systems that support midair
3D sketching by exploiting natural user behavior to assist users
to more quickly and faithfully convey their meaning in sketches.
