On the Go with AR: Attention to Virtual and Physical Targets while Varying Augmentation Density

You-Jin Kim, Radha Kumaran, Jingjing Luo, Tom Bullock, Barry Giesbrecht, and Tobias Höllerer:
On the Go with AR: Attention to Virtual and Physical Targets while Varying Augmentation Density. In: ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM CHI 2025
Presented: ACM CHI 2025 - [Virtual and Mixed Reality Interaction Session] April 30, 2025, Yokohama, Japan
▪️  DOI: 10.1145/3706598.3714289    ▪️  arXiv: 10.48550/arXiv.2510.25978

Abstract

Augmented reality is projected to be a primary mode of information consumption on the go, seamlessly integrating virtual content into the \red{physical} world. However, the potential perceptual demands of viewing virtual annotations while a physical environment could impact user efficacy and safety, and the implications of these demands are not well understood. Here, we investigate the impact of virtual path guidance and augmentation density visual clutter on search performance and memory. Participants walked along a predefined path, searching for physical or virtual items. They experienced two levels of augmentation density, and either walked freely or with enforced speed and path guidance. Augmentation density impacted behavior and reduced awareness of uncommon objects in the environment. Analysis of search task performance and post-experiment item recall revealed} differing attention to physical and virtual objects. On the basis of these findings we outline considerations for AR apps designed for use on-the-go.

Research Contributions

• Demonstrated how AR task demands fundamentally alter environmental awareness, forcing users to split focus between physical and virtual elements.

• Provided empirical evidence that increased visual clutter in augmented reality interfaces exacerbates inattentional blindness during active search tasks.

• Identified critical cognitive tradeoffs, revealing that otherwise effective AR tools can introduce negative side effects regarding user attention and safety.

• Formulated design guidelines to reduce unnecessary digital clutter and purposefully draw user attention to critical objects within their view.

• Established the need for context-aware UI mechanisms that highlight physical settings during virtual-heavy tasks to maintain situational awareness.

Citation IEEE Format

Y-J. Kim, R. Kumaran, J. Luo, T. Bullock, B. Giesbrecht, and T. Höllerer, "On the Go with AR: Attention to Virtual and Physical Targets while Varying Augmentation Density," in Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New York, NY, USA, 2025, Art. no. 1158. doi: 10.1145/3706598.3714289. (16 Pages)

Citation APA Format

Kim, Y-J., Kumaran, R., Luo, J., Bullock, T., Giesbrecht, B., & Höllerer, T. (2025). On the go with AR: Attention to virtual and physical targets while varying augmentation density. In Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Article No. 1158, pp. 1–16). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3714289. (16 Pages)