This research explores the potential advantages of adaptive interfaces in Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) for enhancing decision-making speed and quality in complex planning environments, such as military tactical operation centers. While traditional interfaces display information at fixed locations, adaptive interfaces can present information at the user's perceptual depth and minimize the need for shifts in focal distance and context. We leverage related work using an eye tracker to estimate perceptual depth with eye vergence and interpupillary distance, and use virtual reality to simulate an augmented reality experience. Our study assesses the effectiveness of an adaptive interface in a simulated command center style exercise in which participants undertake complex decision-making tasks involving route planning and resource management. As in a real command center, a large map is surrounded by monitors displaying information feeds. This is an important use case as there are advantages to the non-adaptive condition (specific type of information will always be in the same location) but also inherent disadvantages (needing to shift between locations on the map and the monitor). In the adaptive condition, the  virtual map is divided into zones such that virtual monitors are displayed in the zone associated with the user’s current fixation point. In this between-subjects design, we explore differences between the two conditions with the expectation that the non-adaptive condition will be categorized by long saccades during decision-making to consult the monitors, whereas in the adaptive condition users will fixate in the related zone. We anticipate that the need to shift focal distance in the non-adaptive condition will increase decision-making time and decrease perceived usability. Decision-making quality may also suffer as users avoid consulting monitors frequently during problem solving. As mixed-reality technologies and capabilities become more common in operational decision-making and training, results from this research will provide important guidance for design requirements of future user interfaces.

Keywords
ADAPTIVE;COGNITIVE;DECISION;ENHANCING PERFORMANCE;HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAYS;HUMAN FACTORS;MIXED REALITY;PHYSIOLOGICAL

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