Changing the camera-to-screen angle to improve AR browser usage

Abstract

Mobile devices are currently the most commonly used platform to experience Augmented Reality (AR). Nevertheless, they typically provide a less than ideal ergonomic experience, requiring the user to operate them with arms raised. In this paper we evaluate how to improve the ergonomics of AR experiences by modifying the angle between the mobile device's camera and its display. Whereas current mobile device cameras point out vertically from the back cover, we modify the camera angle to be 0, 45 and 90 degrees. In addition, we also investigate the use of the smartwatch as an AR browser form factor. Key findings are, that whilst the current approximately see-through configuration provides the fastest task completion times, a camera offset angle of 45° provides reduced task load and was preferred by users. When comparing different form factors and screen sizes, the smartwatch format was found to be unsuitable for AR browsing use.