Preference in Voice Commands and Gesture Controls With Hands-Free Augmented Reality With Novel Users

Hands-free augmented reality (HAR) has the potential of one day becoming our gateway to the Metaverse. However, the devices are still out of reach for most consumers mainly due to their price. The issues with novel interaction techniques can also present a challenge when interacting with holographic content in 3D space. In this article, we describe a mixed-method user study (N=34, inexperienced HAR users) with an augmented reality (AR) map application and HoloLens 2, where the target is to compare the usability, user experience (UX), and preferences with two of the most common HAR interaction techniques: gestures and voice commands. Our findings show that there may not be a significant difference in the overall UX between these controls when using an AR map. However, there are individual variability and differences in how novel users prefer to interact with holographic content. Gesture controls were preferred for their playfulness and voice commands for their efficiency. This suggests that developers should focus on different interaction techniques for different contexts from gaming to serious collaborative work.