Push the Red Button: Comparing Notification Placement with Augmented and Non-Augmented Tasks in AR

Plabst, Lucas; Oberdörfer, Sebastian; Ortega, Francisco R.; Niebling, Florian · 2022 · Unknown

DOI: 10.1145/3565970.3567701

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study investigates the impact of visual notification placement on user performance and perception in Augmented Reality (AR) environments, specifically comparing scenarios where the primary task is performed in the real world versus entirely within AR. The research addresses a gap in existing literature, which has largely focused on notifications during real-world tasks, neglecting contexts where AR displays both the main task and the notifications. The authors aim to determine which notification placement—subtitle, heads-up, world space, or user wrist—is most effective depending on the presence of other virtual content. The researchers conducted a user study using a Microsoft HoloLens 2 headset. Participants performed a memory card game as the primary task, interrupted periodically by notifications requiring them to press a specific colored button on a remote controller as a secondary task. The experiment employed a mixed design with two independent variables: notification placement (heads-up, subtitle, world, wrist) and task scenario (physical cards vs. virtual AR cards). Notifications appeared every 50 seconds during eight-minute sessions. Performance metrics included reaction time, missed notifications, and error rates, while subjective measures included usability, task load, and perceived intrusiveness. The results indicated that notification placement significantly affected performance, with effects varying based on the task scenario. World-space notifications, positioned above the task area, performed best overall and were ranked as the most preferable by participants. Wrist notifications showed substantial performance differences depending on the task; they were most suitable when other AR elements were present but less effective otherwise. Heads-up notifications, located in the top-right corner of the field of view, performed significantly worse than subtitle notifications and were ranked lowest in preference. Subtitle notifications, placed at the bottom center, offered a balance of noticeability and minimal disruption to the main task. The study concludes that there is no single optimal notification placement for all AR contexts. Instead, the choice of placement should depend on the overall structure of the AR system and the nature of the primary task. World-space notifications are recommended when the user’s view direction is known and quick comprehension is needed. Wrist notifications are ideal for systems with significant virtual content, while subtitle placements are preferable over heads-up displays for general use. These findings provide design guidelines for minimizing disruption and maximizing efficiency in AR applications, particularly in safety-critical environments where timely response to notifications is essential.

Key finding

Wrist notifications are most suitable for AR environments containing other virtual elements, whereas heads-up notifications perform significantly worse than subtitle placements.

Methodology

lab_experiment

Sample size: 36

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

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