[Paper Review] Personal+Context navigation: combining AR and shared displays in network path-following

Raphaël James, Anastasia Bezerianos+4 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|May 19, 2020

Interactive and Immersive Displays77 references4 citations

TL;DR

This paper proposes Personal+Context navigation, a method that combines augmented reality (AR) headsets with shared displays to enable private, hands-free path-following in network visualizations. By using persistent or transient visual connections between the AR cursor and network links on a shared display, the technique improves navigation accuracy and user preference depending on task precision, demonstrating feasibility for collaborative public network exploration.

ABSTRACT

Shared displays are well suited to public viewing and collaboration, however they lack personal space to view private information and act without disturbing others. Combining them with Augmented Reality (AR) headsets allows interaction without altering the context on the shared display. We study a set of such interaction techniques in the context of network navigation, in particular path following, an important network analysis task. Applications abound, for example planning private trips on a network map shown on a public display.The proposed techniques allow for hands-free interaction, rendering visual aids inside the headset, in order to help the viewer maintain a connection between the AR cursor and the network that is only shown on the shared display. In two experiments on path following, we found that adding persistent connections between the AR cursor and the network on the shared display works well for high precision tasks, but more transient connections work best for lower precision tasks. More broadly, we show that combining personal AR interaction with shared displays is feasible for network navigation.

Motivation & Objective

• To address the challenge of maintaining visual and cognitive connection between personal AR views and shared network visualizations during navigation.
• To support private, hands-free navigation in public settings where shared displays show network context but users need personal guidance.
• To evaluate how different coupling mechanisms between AR and shared displays affect performance in path-following tasks.
• To explore the feasibility of using AR headsets to provide personalized navigation feedback without disrupting shared visual context.

Proposed method

• The system uses a HoloLens AR headset to render personal visual cues (e.g., sliding rings or magnetic pointers) that connect the user’s field of view to specific links on a shared network display.
• Visual connections are generated based on AR head tracking, ensuring real-time alignment between the AR cursor and the shared network’s nodes/links.
• Two interaction techniques are implemented: a 'SlidingRing' for persistent connection and a 'Magnetic' metaphor for transient, gaze-triggered feedback.
• The system supports hands-free interaction by relying solely on head movement and gaze, avoiding gestures or handheld devices.
• Users navigate by moving their head to align the AR cursor with desired network paths, with visual feedback reinforcing the connection to the shared display.
• The approach maintains the shared network visualization intact for all users while enabling private, personalized navigation aids in the AR view.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 How does persistent visual coupling between AR and shared network displays affect performance in high-precision path-following tasks?
• RQ2 How does transient visual coupling compare to persistent coupling in low-precision path selection tasks?
• RQ3 Which visual metaphor—SlidingRing or Magnetic—yields better performance and user preference in AR-assisted network navigation?
• RQ4 To what extent can AR headsets provide private navigation support without disrupting shared display context?

Key findings

• Persistent visual coupling using the SlidingRing technique significantly improved performance in high-precision path-following tasks, indicating its effectiveness for accuracy-sensitive navigation.
• For low-precision path selection tasks, the transient Magnetic metaphor outperformed the standard gaze-cursor and was preferred by users, suggesting better usability for simpler navigation goals.
• The combination of AR and shared displays enabled private, non-disruptive navigation in public settings, preserving shared context while supporting individualized guidance.
• Users maintained better visual and cognitive connection to the shared network when visual feedback was tightly coupled to the AR headset’s field of view.
• The system demonstrated feasibility for multi-user network navigation, where multiple individuals could receive personalized AR feedback without altering the shared visualization.
• The results suggest that task precision determines the optimal coupling strategy: persistent for precision, transient for simplicity.