Head-anchored text placements and cognitive load in information-rich virtual environments

In recent years, there has been a growing trend toward using information-rich virtual environments that combine virtual environments (VE) with text as educational tools. This has been made viable by advances in head-mounted displays (HMDs). However, the use of virtual reality (VR) can create a problem of high extraneous cognitive load (ECL) caused by the VR technology itself. This can hinder learning if it exceeds a user’s limited working memory. To reduce this load, designers of VEs can only address design elements like the text placement method. To give insights into the placement with the lowest ECL, we conducted a study with 30 participants, evaluating different head-anchored text placements in two abstracted, non-stationary learning tasks to assess their cognitive load, usability, and task load. Our results showed that head-anchored text should be placed above eye level for tasks at normal working height. Furthermore, the horizontal movement of text had little to no influence on cognitive load.