Immersion, Attention, and Collaboration in Spatial Computing: A Study on Work Performance with Apple Vision Pro

Abstract

Spatial computing is set to change the way we work. It will enable both focused work through a higher degree of immersion and collaborative work through enhanced integration of shared interaction spaces or interaction partners. With the Apple Vision Pro, the level of immersion can be adjusted seamlessly. So far, there have been no systematic studies on how this adjustability affects work performance when working alone or together. The present empirical study fills this research gap by varying the level of immersion across three stages (high, medium, low) while solving various tasks with the Apple Vision Pro. The results show that selective attention improves significantly with increasing immersion levels. In contrast, social presence decreases with increasing immersion. In general, participants performed better in the individual task than in the collaborative task. However, the degree of immersion did not influence the collaborative performance. In addition, we could not determine any adverse effects on depth perception or user experience after use. The present study provides initial contributions to the future of spatial computing in professional settings and highlights the importance of balancing immersion and social interaction in a world where digital and physical spaces seamlessly coexist.