Abstract
Bau and Mackay’s OctoPocus dynamic guide helps novices learn, execute, and remember 2D surface gestures. We adapt OctoPocus to 3D mid-air gestures in Virtual Reality (VR) using an optimization-based recognizer, and by introducing an optional exploration mode to help visualize the spatial complexity of guides in a 3D gesture set. A replication of the original experiment protocol is used to compare OctoPocus in VR with a VR implementation of a crib-sheet. Results show that despite requiring 0.9s more reaction time than crib-sheet, OctoPocus enables participants to execute gestures 1.8s faster with 13.8% more accuracy during training, while remembering a comparable number of gestures. Subjective ratings support these results, 75% of participants found OctoPocus easier to learn and 83% found it more accurate. We contribute an implementation and empirical evidence demonstrating that an adaptation of he OctoPocus guide to VR is feasible and beneficial.
