Visual Distortions in Augmented Reality
@ Facebook Reality Labs
This project was a four month internship at Facebook Reality Labs. The goal of the study was to evaluate the perceptibility of visual distortions in augmented display system prototypes.
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Disclaimer: Due to the confidential nature of this project details have been excluded or modified.
Background & Goals
The goal of the project was to aid in the development of a novel varifocal system by assessing users' perceptibility of visual distortions during use of the device. The development team required evidence from research to determine multiple key focuses of product development.
Research Goals
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Measuring the spatial distortions caused by the optics of the device
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Determine if users are able to perceive these distortions when using the device
Methods
I collaborated with a cross-functional team, including engineers, optical scientists, and product managers to conceptualize, design, and execute the study. To measure the spatial distortions of the system a laser was setup on an optical table to measure the distortion of light through the optics of the device. These measurements were used to create a model of the geometric distortions in Matlab.
To determine the perceptibility of these distortions I used Python to develop a perceptual experiment that integrated eye-tracking hardware to analyze gaze patterns while making planned eye movements. Users would indicate whether they perceived an expansion or compression of visual elements during eye movements.
Crucial Insights
Our results showed that users were less likely to perceive visual distortions under certain optical conditions, which suggested that the use of this particular varifocal prototype device would allow for some reflexibility when rendering virtual objects in a natural viewing environment.
Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 I could not complete the entire round of user testing, but the initial results were promising and published in my final report.
Research Impact
Strategic Impact
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Product strategy pivots were backed by research insights
Product Impact
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Through collaboration with our cross-functional team, engineers were able take the feedback from the user research and incorporate the results into design of the prototype
My Learnings
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How to use eye-tracking technology and how to integrate the software into Python
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Working with a large team of engineers and optical scientists on product development
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How to complete a project with the tight and unpredictable timelines of a global pandemic