Frequently Asked Questions
Can Hand Interfaces work on any AR/VR device?
Although Hand Interfaces was only tested on the Oculus Quest, it was developed in the Unity engine. As such, Hand Interfaces is compatible with any AR/VR headset that supports Unity applications and hand tracking, of which many modern devices do.
How do I come up with new designs?
Keeping the criteria discussed in the Overview in mind, new designs can often be inspired by everyday activity. Try thinking of what interfaces or tools you use throughout your day and their static/dynamic characteristics. Then, compare that with your hands and find a way to imitate those characteristics to your best ability. If the design fits the criteria, you might have just come up with a new design!
Have you done user studies?
Yes, two user studies focused on object retrieval and interactive control were conducted. Each user study consisted of 17 participants with ages ranging from 19 to 39. We collected age, gender, education level, major, VR experience level, handedness, and hand size information from participants before each study started. The study was conducted in a quiet lab environment moderated by two experimenters. If you want to know more about the user studies, please refer to our paper.
What is the general feedback on Hand Interfaces by users?
Based on the feedback from our users, we found a few recurring themes that provide a holistic view of the general feedback on HI. The first theme was that tactile feedback often made a positive impact in both a user's perception of realism and the interaction experience. One participant praised the joystick design due to having a tangible anchor for interaction, contributing to a more stable and enjoyable VR experience. However, we also learned that if designs were not created in a way that was consistent with the participants' real-world experience, the designs were perceived as unrealistic even with tactile feedback.
Another theme was that users found it easier to recall the object retrieval after interacting with the object. Users also often relied solely on visuals to recall the interaction with objects rather than the movement itself. As such, we learned that ease of recollection for interaction was more so about designing virtual objects with self-revealing affordances than coupling objects with a user's hands.
The last major theme was that users found it fun to use HI, specifically with how their hands morphed into objects. As we stated in the Overview, HI being fun to use was an important facet of the project and we were happy to see that many users found the experience entertaining. The feedback on how users enjoyed the morphing suggests that future designs could strategically amplify the morphing effects to increase the fun-factor.