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Physical monitors require space, lack flexibility, and can become expensive and less portable in large setups. Virtual monitors, on the other hand, can minimize those problems, but may be subject to technological limitations such as lower resolution and field of view. We investigate the impacts of using virtual monitors displayed on a current state-of-the-art augmented reality headset for conducting productivity work. We conducted a user study that compared physical monitors, virtual monitors, and a hybrid combination of both in terms of performance, accuracy, comfort, focus, preference, and confidence. Results show that virtual monitors are a feasible approach for performing serious productivity work, albeit currently constrained by technical limitations that lead to inferior usability and performance compared to physical monitors. We also discovered that, with current technology, the hybrid condition was a better tradeoff between the familiarity and trustworthiness of physical monitors and the extra space provided by virtual monitors. We conclude by expressing the opportunity for designing strategies for mixing virtual and physical monitors into novel hybrid interfaces. 

The process of sensemaking involves foraging through and extracting information from large sets of documents, and it can be a cognitively intensive task. A recent approach, the Immersive Space to Think (IST), allows analysts to browse, read, mark up documents, and use immersive 3D space to organize and label collections of documents. In this study, we observed seventeen novice analysts perform a historical analysis task in order to understand how users utilize the features of IST to extract meaning from large text-based datasets. We found three different layout strategies they employed to create meaning with the documents we provided. We further found patterns of interaction and organization that can inform future improvements to the IST approach. 

The process of sensemaking involves foraging through and extracting information from large sets of documents, and it can be a cognitively intensive task. A recent approach, the Immersive Space to Think (IST), allows analysts to browse, read, mark up documents, and use immersive 3D space to organize and label collections of documents. In this study, we observed seventeen novice analysts perform a historical analysis task in order to understand how users utilize the features of IST to extract meaning from large text-based datasets. We found three different layout strategies they employed to create meaning with the documents we provided. We further found patterns of interaction and organization that can inform future improvements to the IST approach.