Comparing Three Task Guidance Interfaces for Wire Harness Assembly

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a user study that compared the design of three visual interfaces (i.e. Text, AR and a 2D Schematic view) to support the wire harness assembly of electrical wires in modern aircraft. Displayed on a portable iPad, 18 participants were instructed to route three sets of wires on a commercial aerospace formboard. Through video analysis, the results identified significant differences in the mapping time, and number of visual references made in viewing information on the three interfaces. In particular, a lack of graphical information in the Text, and camera alignment issues in the AR conditions demonstrated noticeable limitations in interaction. We briefly discuss these findings.