Investigating the Impact of a Virtual Background on Side-by-side AR Instructions for Procedural Tasks

Abstract

Although Augmented Reality (AR) has been widely investigated for supporting procedural tasks, its adoption in real industrial environments remains limited. A major challenge concerns the accurate registration of virtual instructions onto real components, which can be affected by tracking inaccuracies, occlusion conflicts, and visual clutter in the surrounding workspace. In this work, we investigate the design space of AR instructional visualization by comparing three metaphors: AR in-situ, where instructions are registered on real components; AR side-by-side, where instructions are displayed on a virtual replica positioned next to the equipment; and AR orb, where side-by-side instructions are presented within a virtual spherical background that isolates them from the industrial scene. We conducted a user study in a real workshop setting involving a mechanical disassembly task with 21 participants, including professional operators. Objective performance, perceived cognitive load, usability, and user experience were evaluated. The results suggest that strict spatial registration is not always necessary for effective AR procedural guidance. Side-by-side visualizations preserved task comprehension, reduced perceived workload, and improved usability compared to in-situ AR. Isolating instructions within a virtual background further reduced mental demand, although users considered the standard side-by-side approach more appropriate overall.