Augmented Reality Interface: Guidelines for the Design of Contrast Ratios

Abstract

As part of the quality assurance process in industrial production, employees make hundreds of decisions every day based on their experience and the given inspection specifications. The detection of quality deviations currently depends on the individual competence of the persons involved in the production process. With the automatic recognition of textured surfaces in camera images, valuable information can be given to support these persons in their decisions. For the design of augmented reality systems, the cognitive decision-making processes are first described in a model-based way and the requirements for design of the decision-making process are defined. The different lighting environments in the industrial process represent one of the important requirements of the augmented reality system, to function independently of the lighting. The good perceptibility of the information is the basic requirement for the recognition of contents. When implementing an augmented reality system, it is problematic to consider the different illuminance levels in a room. Depending on the task at hand, usually, the light at a machine is weaker and brighter in the quality control area. It is important that user-centered implementation is observed. Manual intervention by the end user in the augmented reality system is necessary to compensate for differences in brightness. This paper examines different lighting environments and the degree to which the user can clearly see content. An empirical evaluation is conducted to examine the clarity of content in AR. The aim is to find out how the difference in contrast at different lighting situations influences the differences in brightness of colors. The colors are chosen to display content but also to emphasize content. As a result, a usage recommendation can be made for grey values as well as for different color values. The consequence of this investigation is then used for the further development of sample solutions for the design of an augmented reality system. The focus lies on the user-centered development process and thus the integration of user requirements into the technical implementation should be ensured. The perceptibility of the information in an augmented reality system should not only play a role technically, but also physically. The perception of information is omnipresent, so one can perceive our environment. With the help of the study, a natural and easy perception of information should take place, which supports the recognition of important information in the everyday working environment.