Studies on the Effectiveness of Virtual Pointers in Collaborative Augmented Reality

A critical component of successful collaboration is the ability for participants to generate and interpret effective reference cues. In collaborative augmented reality (AR), participants must be able to refer to the physical and virtual artifacts that surround them, as well as those that exist in remote workspaces. One of the most primitive referencing techniques that satisfy these requirements is a virtual pointer. In order to better understand its effectiveness in collaborative augmented reality, a two-part study was conducted that independently examines how individuals both give and interpret references using this technique, as well as factors that influence accuracy. A second study was conducted that explored the dynamics of group interaction and how virtual referencing techniques may support collaborative tasks. We present the results of these two studies in the context of designing support for demonstrative referencing in collaborative augmented reality spaces. Overall, we argue that when the probability of referential ambiguity is high, additional costs such as time, computational resources or alternative techniques will help reduce referential ambiguity.