Object impersonation: Towards effective interaction in tablet- and HMD-based hybrid virtual environments

In virtual reality, hybrid virtual environment (HVE) systems provide the immersed user with multiple interactive representations of the virtual world, and can be effectively used for 3D interaction tasks with highly diverse requirements. We present a new HVE metaphor called Object Impersonation that allows the user to not only manipulate a virtual object from outside, but also become the object, and maneuver from inside. This approach blurs the line between travel and object manipulation, leading to efficient cross-task interaction in various task scenarios. Using a tablet- and HMD-based HVE system, two different designs of Object Impersonation were implemented, and compared to a traditional, non-hybrid 3D interface for three different object manipulation tasks. Results indicate improved task performance and enhanced user experience with the added orientation control from the object´s point of view. However, they also revealed higher cognitive overhead to attend to both interaction contexts, especially without sufficient reference cues in the virtual environment.