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Exploring the Design Space of Optical See-through AR Head-Mounted Displays to Support First Responders in the Field

Kexin Zhang, Brianna Cochran, Ruijia Chen, Lance Hartung, Bryce Sprecher, Ross Tredinnick, Kevin Ponto, Suman Banerjee, Yuhang Zhao

TL;DR

This study interviewed 26 first responders in the field who experienced a state-of-the-art optical-see-through AR HMD, as well as its interaction techniques and four types of AR cues, and derived comprehensive and actionable design guidelines to inform future AR systems for in-field FRs.

Abstract

First responders (FRs) navigate hazardous, unfamiliar environments in the field (e.g., mass-casualty incidents), making life-changing decisions in a split second. AR head-mounted displays (HMDs) have shown promise in supporting them due to its capability of recognizing and augmenting the challenging environments in a hands-free manner. However, the design space have not been thoroughly explored by involving various FRs who serve different roles (e.g., firefighters, law enforcement) but collaborate closely in the field. We interviewed 26 first responders in the field who experienced a state-of-the-art optical-see-through AR HMD, as well as its interaction techniques and four types of AR cues (i.e., overview cues, directional cues, highlighting cues, and labeling cues), soliciting their first-hand experiences, design ideas, and concerns. Our study revealed both generic and role-specific preferences and needs for AR hardware, interactions, and feedback, as well as identifying desired AR designs tailored to urgent, risky scenarios (e.g., affordance augmentation to facilitate fast and safe action). While acknowledging the value of AR HMDs, concerns were also raised around trust, privacy, and proper integration with other equipment. Finally, we derived comprehensive and actionable design guidelines to inform future AR systems for in-field FRs.

Exploring the Design Space of Optical See-through AR Head-Mounted Displays to Support First Responders in the Field

TL;DR

This study interviewed 26 first responders in the field who experienced a state-of-the-art optical-see-through AR HMD, as well as its interaction techniques and four types of AR cues, and derived comprehensive and actionable design guidelines to inform future AR systems for in-field FRs.

Abstract

First responders (FRs) navigate hazardous, unfamiliar environments in the field (e.g., mass-casualty incidents), making life-changing decisions in a split second. AR head-mounted displays (HMDs) have shown promise in supporting them due to its capability of recognizing and augmenting the challenging environments in a hands-free manner. However, the design space have not been thoroughly explored by involving various FRs who serve different roles (e.g., firefighters, law enforcement) but collaborate closely in the field. We interviewed 26 first responders in the field who experienced a state-of-the-art optical-see-through AR HMD, as well as its interaction techniques and four types of AR cues (i.e., overview cues, directional cues, highlighting cues, and labeling cues), soliciting their first-hand experiences, design ideas, and concerns. Our study revealed both generic and role-specific preferences and needs for AR hardware, interactions, and feedback, as well as identifying desired AR designs tailored to urgent, risky scenarios (e.g., affordance augmentation to facilitate fast and safe action). While acknowledging the value of AR HMDs, concerns were also raised around trust, privacy, and proper integration with other equipment. Finally, we derived comprehensive and actionable design guidelines to inform future AR systems for in-field FRs.
Paper Structure (44 sections, 2 figures, 2 tables)

This paper contains 44 sections, 2 figures, 2 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Challenges Faced by First Responders
  4. First Responders' Experiences with Technologies
  5. AR Technology to Support First Responders
  6. Method
  7. Participants
  8. Apparatus: Design Probes in AR
  9. AR Device: HoloLens 2.
  10. Interaction Techniques.
  11. Four Types of AR Cues.
  12. Procedure
  13. Hardware Assessment.
  14. Interaction Technique Exploration.
  15. AR Cue Exploration.
  16. ...and 29 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: (A) Tap to select holograms within reach; (B) Air Tap to select holograms out of reach; (C) Pinch to resize holograms; (D) Select holograms using eye cursor and a voice command.
  • Figure 2: Overview cues: (A) Head-attached map; (B) 3D Floor plan. Highlighting cues: (C) Door with shade; (D) Door with Contour. Directional cues: (E) Single arrow pointing a POI; (F) An array of arrows indicating a path. Labeling cues: (G) Icon and text labeling an object; (H) Icons labeling a victim.