ParaGlassMenu: Towards Social-Friendly Subtle Interactions in Conversations

Interactions with digital devices during social settings can reduce social engagement and interrupt conversations. To overcome these drawbacks, we designed ParaGlassMenu, a semi-transparent circular menu that can be displayed around a conversation partner’s face on Optical See-Through Head-Mounted Display (OHMD) and interacted subtly using a ring mouse. We evaluated ParaGlassMenu with several alternative approaches (Smartphone, Voice assistant, and Linear OHMD menus) by manipulating Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices in a simulated conversation setting with a digital partner. Results indicated that the ParaGlassMenu offered the best overall performance in balancing social engagement and digital interaction needs in conversations. To validate these findings, we conducted a second study in a realistic conversation scenario involving commodity IoT devices. Results confirmed the utility and social acceptance of the ParaGlassMenu. Based on the results, we discuss implications for designing attention-maintaining subtle interaction techniques on OHMDs.