Search for: All records

This article discusses novel research methods used to examine how Augmented Reality (AR) can be utilized to present “omic” (i.e., genomes, microbiomes, pathogens, allergens) information to non-expert users. While existing research shows the potential of AR as a tool for personal health, methodological challenges pose a barrier to the ways in which AR research can be conducted. There is a growing need for new evaluation methods for AR systems, especially as remote testing becomes increasingly popular. In this article, we present two AR studies adapted for remote research environments in the context of personal health. The first study ( n = 355) is a non-moderated remote study conducted using an AR web application to explore the effect of layering abstracted pathogens and mitigative behaviors on a user, on perceived risk perceptions, negative affect, and behavioral intentions. This study introduces methods that address participant precursor requirements, diversity of platforms for delivering the AR intervention, unsupervised setups, and verification of participation as instructed. The second study ( n = 9) presents the design and moderated remote evaluation of a technology probe, a prototype of a novel AR tool that overlays simulated timely and actionable environmental omic data in participants' living environment, which helps users to contextualize and make sense of the data. Overall, the two studies contribute to the understanding of investigating AR as a tool for health behavior and interventions for remote, at-home, empirical studies. 

Remote scientific collaborations have been pivotal in generating scientific discoveries and breakthroughs that accelerate research in many fields. Emerging VR applications for remote work, which utilize commercially available head-mounted displays (HMDs), offer the promise to enhance collaboration, through spatial and embodied experiences. However, there is little evidence on how professionals in general, and scientists in particular, could use existing commercial VR applications to support their cognitive and creative collaborative processes while exploring real-world data as part of day-to-day collaborative work. In this paper, we present findings from an empirical study with 14 coral reef scientists, examining how they chose to utilize available resources in existing virtual environments for their ongoing data-driven collaborative research. We shed light on scientists’ data organization practices, identify affordances unique to VR for supporting cognition in a collaborative setting, and highlight design requirements for supporting cognitive and creative collaboration processes in future tools. 

In this paper, we present the methods, challenges, and lessons from conducting a moderated, remote, at-home study of an Augmented Reality (AR) application that overlays omic information in users’ kitchens. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our team adapted to remote studies, which have presented unique experiences and discussions. We explore ways that could lower barriers for researchers to conduct remote Mixed Reality (MR) studies and assume greater control over a remote study. We argue that remote studies conducted in study participants’ personal spaces can lead to more insightful and nuanced results, but participants’ privacy and issues related to equity should be considered and protected.