Evaluating the Object-Centered User Interface in Head-Worn Mixed Reality Environment

User interface (UI) in head-worn mixed reality (MR) can be divided into two categories: user-centered and object-centered. Many studies have focused on user-centered UI, but few have explored object-centered UI. In this research, we explored the design of object-centered UI in head-worn MR environment. First, (b) we proposed three design considerations for object-centered UI in head-worn MR environment, and then verified them through two user studies with four UIs, where one is pure object-centered UI, one is pure user-centered UI, the others are hybrid UIs. In the first study, we conducted a user experience (UX) research on the access comfort, convenience and unobstructed sight degree of each UI, and demonstrated users’ preferences for the object-centered UI. In the second study, we designed a real application scenario to further evaluate the design considerations in a complex MR environment, and assessed its usability. We found positive user experience qualities of object-centered UI. Finally, we summarized four design recommendations, which could guide the UI design for the interaction with real-world objects in the future of everyday life with head-worn MR.