Effectiveness of Paper, VR and Stereo-VR in the Delivery of Instructions for Assembly Tasks

Abstract

A study was conducted to compare the relative performance, in terms of completion time and accuracy, of desktop virtual reality, desktop stereo virtual reality, and a paper-based approach in presenting assembly instructions for 3D construction tasks. All presentations depicted a single step of the assembly process at a time. The results showed no significant differences in accuracy between any of the three approaches. In terms of interaction, a comparison of the two computer based presentations revealed that users rotated the model less frequently in the 3D stereo graphics than in the standard graphics, suggesting that more information was communicated by the stereo approach. The results also reveal that object complexity significantly impacts user performance with regards to time and that presentations of real-world assembly tasks will benefit from enhanced attention to inter-spatial relationships.