Studying Mobile Spatial Collaboration across Video Calls and Augmented Reality

2026-01-24

AI Summary

This study addresses the limitations of mobile video calls in replicating the spatial awareness and coordination efficiency of face-to-face interaction during remote collaboration. It presents the first systematic comparison between mobile augmented reality (AR) and conventional video conferencing in spatially grounded collaborative tasks. Employing a mixed-methods approach—including conversation recordings, speech transcriptions, motion logs, and in-depth interviews—the research conducted structured observations with 14 participant pairs. Findings indicate that AR-mediated communication more closely resembles co-located interaction by enabling mutual engagement in shared spatial reasoning, whereas video calls facilitate faster consensus formation. The work underscores the critical role of embodied spatial reasoning in remote collaboration and offers design implications for next-generation systems that strategically integrate video and AR modalities.

Technology Category

Computer Vision: Multi-modal VisionMultiagent Systems: Agent CommunicationCognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction

Application Category

User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Practical large-scale studies of user experienceSearch and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metricsResponsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

Mobile video calls are widely used to share information about real-world objects and environments with remote collaborators. While these calls provide valuable visual context in real time, the experience of interacting with people and moving around a space is significantly reduced when compared to co-located conversations. Recent work has demonstrated the potential of Mobile Augmented Reality applications to enable more spatial forms of collaboration across distance. To better understand the dynamics of mobile AR collaboration and how this medium compares against the status quo, we conducted a comparative structured observation study to analyze people's perception of space and interaction with remote collaborators across mobile video calls and AR-based calls. Fourteen pairs of participants completed a spatial collaboration task using each medium. Through a mixed-methods analysis of session videos, transcripts, motion logs, post-task exercises, and interviews, we highlight how the choice of medium influences the roles and responsibilities that collaborators take on and the construction of a shared language for coordination. We discuss the importance of spatial reasoning with one's body, how video calls help participants"be on the same page"more directly, and how AR calls enable both onsite and remote collaborators to engage with the space and each other in ways that resemble in-person interaction. Our study offers a nuanced view of the benefits and limitations of both mediums, and we conclude with a discussion of design implications for future systems that integrate mobile video and AR to better support spatial collaboration in its many forms.

Problem

• Mobile Spatial Collaboration
• Video Calls
• Augmented Reality
• Remote Collaboration
• Spatial Interaction

Innovation

• Mobile Augmented Reality
• Spatial Collaboration
• Remote Communication
• Comparative Study
• Shared Spatial Understanding