SharedMirror

When colleagues meet unexpectedly, sharing a screen can help them discuss ongoing work. This becomes difficult when one person uses a head-mounted display (HMD) and the other uses a smartphone: the smartphone user cannot readily see the HMD user’s virtual screens. We first studied the challenges people face in these conversations, then developed two ways to view content together. PersonalMirror shows shared content on each person’s own device. SharedMirror provides a common display that both people can see. In a study with 12 pairs, SharedMirror improved awareness of the shared work and the sense of social presence compared with PersonalMirror. It also supported more frequent exchanges during conversation. These findings show how the placement of shared content shapes communication between people using different devices. The project offers design guidance for making brief, in-person conversations easier when one person is wearing an HMD.