The Passenger Experience of Mixed Reality Virtual Display Layouts in Airplane Environments

Augmented / Mixed Reality headsets will in-time see adoption and use in a variety of mobility and transit contexts, allowing users to view and interact with virtual content and displays for productivity and entertainment. However, little is known regarding how multi-display virtual workspaces should be presented in a transit context, nor to what extent the unique affordances of transit environments (e.g. the social presence of others) might influence passenger perception of virtual display layouts. Using a simulated VR passenger airplane environment, we evaluated three different AR-driven virtual display configurations (Horizontal, Vertical, and Focus main display with smaller secondary windows) at two different depths, exploring their usability, user preferences, and the underlying factors that influenced those preferences. We found that the perception of invading other’s personal space significantly influenced preferred layouts in transit contexts. Based on our findings, we reflect on the unique challenges posed by passenger contexts, provide recommendations regarding virtual display layout in the confined airplane environment, and expand on the significant benefits that AR offers over physical displays in said environments.