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ISMAR 2014 - Sep 10-12 - Munich, Germany
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Improving Co-presence with Augmented Visual Communication Cues for Sharing Experience through Video Conference

SCHEDULE INFORMATION

Event TitleSession TitleChairRoomStartEnd
UIUITBA11 Sep, 2014 11:00 AM11 Sep, 2014 12:45 PM
Authors: 
Seungwon Kim
Authors: 
Gun Lee
Authors: 
Nobuchika SAKATA
Authors: 
Mark Billinghurst
Abstract: 
Video conferencing is becoming more widely used in areas other than face-to-face conversation, such as sharing real world experience with remote friends or family. In this paper we explore how adding augmented visual communication cues can improve the experience of sharing remote task space and collaborating together. We developed a prototype system that allows users to share live video view of their task space taken on a Head Mounted Display (HMD) or Handheld Display (HHD), and communicate through not only voice but also using augmented pointer or annotations drawn on the shared view. To explore the effect of having such an interface for remote collaboration, we conducted a user study comparing three video-conferencing conditions with different combination of communication cues: (1) voice only, (2) voice + pointer, and (3) voice + annotation. The participants used our remote collaboration system to share a parallel experience of puzzle solving in the user study, and we found that adding augmented visual cues significantly improved the sense of being together. The pointer was the most preferred additional cue by users for parallel experience, and there were different states of the users’ behavior found in remote collaboration.