Augmented Reality In-the-Wild: Usage Patterns and Experiences of Working with AR Laptops in Real-World Settings

TL;DR

This study investigates how knowledge workers adopt an AR laptop in real-world settings through a two-week, in-situ diary study of Sightful's Spacetop EA. It reveals how task demands, environment, social context, and ergonomic considerations shape virtual workspace configurations and the emergence of hybrid AR–physical workflows. The findings highlight benefits such as expanded display space, improved comfort, immersion, and privacy, alongside challenges including hardware limits, interaction complexity, and onboarding needs for pervasive AR use. Together, these insights inform design directions for automated window management, context-aware onboarding, and ecologically valid evaluation as AR devices mature.

Abstract

Augmented Reality (AR) is increasingly positioned as a tool for knowledge work, providing beneficial affordances such as a virtually limitless display space that integrates digital information with the user's physical surroundings. However, for AR to supplant traditional screen-based devices in knowledge work, it must support prolonged usage across diverse contexts. Until now, few studies have explored the effects, opportunities, and challenges of working in AR outside a controlled laboratory setting and for an extended duration. This gap in research limits our understanding of how users may adapt its affordances to their daily workflows and what barriers hinder its adoption. In this paper, we present findings from a longitudinal diary study examining how participants incorporated an AR laptop -- Sightful's Spacetop EA -- into their daily work routines. 14 participants used the device for 40-minute daily sessions over two weeks, collectively completing 103 hours of AR-based work. Through survey responses, workspace photographs, and post-study interviews, we analyzed usage patterns, workspace configurations, and evolving user perceptions. Our findings reveal key factors influencing participants' usage of AR, including task demands, environmental constraints, social dynamics, and ergonomic considerations. We highlight how participants leveraged and configured AR's virtual display space, along with emergent hybrid workflows that involved physical screens and tasks. Based on our results, we discuss both overlaps with current literature and new considerations and challenges for the future design of AR systems for pervasive and productive use.

Figures (11)

• Figure 1: Spacetop EA device (top left) and interface (bottom left), and a user wearing the device (right). Note that for users the background appeared transparent (i.e., optical see-through), not black as depicted.
• Figure 2: Themes --- We report on how considerations, such as the participants' tasks, influenced their workspace arrangement behaviors, such as the number of windows they opened. In addition, we highlight alternative workflows that involve the use of AR in tandem with physical displays and tasks. Finally, we summarize participants' perceptions of the value and challenges of using AR.
• Figure 3: Tasks --- Participants engaged in a variety of work and leisure tasks. In most sessions, they focused on productive work but also explored leisure activities and occasionally mixed work with leisure.
• Figure 4: Number of windows --- Participants used an average of two windows, with a maximum of six. Most sessions involved three or fewer.
• Figure 5: Arrangement patterns --- Common window arrangement patterns include using a single window, placing windows side-by-side, and positioning secondary windows in the periphery.