Exploring Different Placement Methods for Lifelog Photos in a 3D Virtual Reality Environment

Abstract

Lifelogging involves the documentation of daily life, usually by automatically taking photos with wearable mobile devices equipped with a camera. The photos often contain metadata such as GPS and biometric data. While current lifelogging systems primarily focus on directed search and retrieval using metadata, there is a lack of attention to undirected exploration and re-experiencing, especially in immersive environments like virtual reality (VR). This research investigates how different placement methods for individual lifelog photos at street level in a photorealistic 3D map environment affect user experience and behavior in VR. Additionally, the benefit level of placing a photo in a 3D map environment in VR will be assessed.

We conducted a within-subject user study with 18 participants to evaluate three placement methods according to a randomized Graeco-Latin square design: Eye Level Placement, Chest Level Placement, and Free-Form Placement. Findings showed that all three placement methods received neutral or positive user experience scores. However, there was a low agreement level among the participants, and only a statistically significant difference between the Chest Level Placement and Free-Form Placement on the hedonic scale. This was not as apparent in the individual ratings and com parative ranking of the three placement methods, suggesting that there is no definite ’best’ placement method in terms of general user experience, as it seems dependent on the context and personal user preferences. Furthermore, the user behavior differed for each placement method, but generally, minimal locomotion was utilized, while Free-Form Placement photo positioning was primarily at the bottom of the participant’s view for a relaxed and comfortable arm position. Lastly, although the 3D map environment could be somewhat distracting, its enjoyment and supportive benefits significantly compensated for it. So, despite this research yielding no decisive outcome, it does provide more insights benefiting future research into and development of lifelog systems that aim to support the undirected exploration and re-experiencing of lifelog photos in a 3D map environment in VR.