Tell me where to look: Investigating ways for assisting focus in 360° video

Abstract

360° videos give viewers a spherical view and immersive experience of surroundings. However, one challenge of watching 360° videos is continuously focusing and re-focusing intended targets. To address this challenge, we developed two Focus Assistance techniques: Auto Pilot (directly bringing viewers to the target), and Visual Guidance (indicating the direction of the target). We conducted an experiment to measure viewers' video-watching experience and discomfort using these techniques and obtained their qualitative feedback. We showed that: 1) Focus Assistance improved ease of focus. 2) Focus Assistance techniques have specificity to video content. 3) Participants' preference of and experience with Focus Assistance depended not only on individual difference but also on their goal of watching the video. 4) Factors such as view-moving-distance, salience of the intended target and guidance, and language comprehension affected participants' video-watching experience. Based on these findings, we provide design implications for better 360° video focus assistance.