Design of a practical TV interface for teacher-guided VR field trips

Abstract

We discuss the development of an educational teacher-guided VR environment and address communication problems noticed during formative evaluations of a teacher’s interface. We especially describe motivations and problems related to a TV-based virtual mirror interface, and we present a study of 3D pointing in the virtual mirror. Efforts to develop a practical interface for repeated classroom use led to a TV interface that allows the teacher to stand unencumbered in front of a large TV showing their depth-camera-based image in a surrounding virtual environment. The limited field of regard of the TV required adressing several problems. First, to support pointing at virtual objects in an environment where the teacher stood in front of or beside virtual objects, we used the mirror-type view with a wide field of view. Visual pointing cues were added to correct problems observed with teacher pointing related to the indirectness of pointing in a mirror and to a low sense of depth. Additional visual cues allow the teacher to make eye contact with networked immersed students, considering the mirror view does not provide a direct view of student avatars. The development and evaluation of visual pointing cues provides a basis for better understanding and improving 3D pointing with virtual mirrors.