Through the Expert's Eyes: Exploring Asynchronous Expert Perspectives and Gaze Visualizations in XR

Clara Sayffaerth, Annika Köhler, Julian Rasch, Albrecht Schmidt, Florian Müller

ISMAR 2025

2025 IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR)

TL;DR

What we did: We conducted a user study to explore the impact of asynchronous first- and third-person perspectives and gaze visualizations on the efficiency, embodiment, and social connectedness during manual tasks in Extended Reality.

What we found: We found that the first-person perspective significantly improves efficiency, while incorporating gaze cues did not enhance performance but increased mental load.

Takeaway: Our findings highlight the importance of using a first-person perspective for effective manual task instruction in Extended Reality, suggesting future systems should prioritize user preferences and effective gaze visualizations.

Abstract

Transferring knowledge across generations is fundamental to human civilization, yet the challenge of passing on complex practical skills persists. Methods without a physically present instructor, such as videos, often fail to explain complex manual tasks, where spatial and social factors are critical. Technologies such as eXtended Reality and Artificial Intelligence hold the potential to retain expert knowledge and facilitate the creation of tailored, contextualized, and asynchronous explanations regardless of time and place. In contrast to videos, the learner’s perspective can be different from the recorded perspective in XR. This paper investigates the impact of asynchronous first- and third-person perspectives and gaze visualizations on efficiency, feeling of embodiment, and connectedness during manual tasks. The empirical results of our study (-) show that the first-person perspective is better in quantitative measures and preferred by users. We identify best practices for presenting preserved knowledge and provide guidelines for designing future systems.