Exploring the Design Space of Optical See-through AR Head-Mounted Displays to Support First Responders in the Field

First responders (FRs) navigate hazardous, unfamiliar environments in the field (e.g., mass-casualty incidents), making life-changing decisions in a split second. AR head-mounted displays (HMDs) have shown promise in supporting them due to its capability of recognizing and augmenting the challenging environments in a hands-free manner. However, the design space have not been thoroughly explored by involving various FRs who serve different roles (e.g., firefighters, law enforcement) but collaborate closely in the field. We interviewed 26 first responders in the field who experienced a state-of-the-art optical-see-through AR HMD, as well as its interaction techniques and four types of AR cues (i.e., overview cues, directional cues, highlighting cues, and labeling cues), soliciting their first-hand experiences, design ideas, and concerns. Our study revealed both generic and role-specific preferences and needs for AR hardware, interactions, and feedback, as well as identifying desired AR designs tailored to urgent, risky scenarios (e.g., affordance augmentation to facilitate fast and safe action). While acknowledging the value of AR HMDs, concerns were also raised around trust, privacy, and proper integration with other equipment. Finally, we derived comprehensive and actionable design guidelines to inform future AR systems for in-field FRs.

第一响应者（FRS）在该领域（例如，群众事件）导航危险，陌生的环境，在一秒钟内做出改变生活的决定。 AR头部安装的显示器（HMD）由于能力以免提方式识别和增强具有挑战性的环境，在支持它们方面表现出了希望。但是，涉及到不同角色的各种FR（例如消防员，执法）但在该领域紧密合作的FRS，并没有彻底探索设计空间。我们采访了该领域的26名急救人员，他们经历了最先进的光学景点AR HMD及其相互作用技术和四种类型的AR提示（即概述提示，方向提示，突出显示，提示和标签提示），征求他们的第一手经验，设计思想和关注。我们的研究揭示了对AR硬件，互动和反馈的通用和特定角色的偏好和需求，以及确定针对紧急危险场景量身定制的所需的AR设计（例如，负担得起的增加，以促进快速安全的行动）。在承认AR HMD的价值的同时，人们对信任，隐私和与其他设备的适当集成也引起了人们的关注。最后，我们得出了全面且可操作的设计指南，以告知未来AR系统的现场FRS系统。