Effect of Transparency Levels and Real-World Backgrounds on the User Interface in Augmented Reality Environments

Abstract

With the introduction of the metaverse, augmented reality (AR) is expected to become the next interface between people and computers. Research is conducted to improve the usability of AR applications and devices. Color transparency and background effect are the two critical factors to consider while developing AR applications. Ten user interface conditions (5 color transparency levels × 2 background conditions) were evaluated in an AR environment. The task completion time and mean error were noted along with the subjective scores of button visibility, background visibility, and motion sickness. The results revealed a significant difference in task completion time, button visibility, and background visibility between transparency conditions, but not in the number of errors and total motion sickness. The transparency level of T0.5 and T0.75 is recommended for the interface of AR applications. This study could be helpful when creating augmented reality applications for the metaverse and other platforms.