Level-of-Detail AR: Dynamically Adjusting Augmented Reality Level of Detail Based on Visual Angle

Dynamically adjusting the content of augmented reality (AR) applications to efficiently display information best fitting the available screen estate may be important for user performance and satisfaction. Currently, there is not a common practice for dynamically adjusting the content of AR applications based on their apparent size in the user's view of the surround environment. We present a Level-of-Detail AR mechanism to improve the usability of AR applications at any relative size. Our mechanism dynamically renders textual and interactable content based on its legibility, interactability, and viewability respectively. When tested, Level-of-Detail AR functioned as intended out-of-the-box on 44 of the 45 standard user interface Unity prefabs in Microsoft's Mixed Reality Tool Kit. We additionally evaluated impact on task performance, user distance, and subjective satisfaction through a mixed-design user study with 45 participants. Statistical analysis of our results revealed significant task-dependent differences in user performance between the modes. User satisfaction was consistently higher for the Level-of-Detail AR condition.