Current co-op games keep collaboration virtual even when players are physically co-located in the same room, limiting embodied coordination in the shared space. We introduce MoveTogether, a novel physical co-op gameplay in which two players jointly operate a single, tracked prop, adding a shared physical communication channel on top of visual and audio cues. To explore the design space in mixed reality, we conducted a workshop with 10 professional designers, generating a physical co-op design space that encompasses prop and interaction design patterns, and how they relate to affordance and cooperative experience. In a within-subjects study of virtual vs. physical co-op experiences (n=16), we observed finer-grained task coordination, fewer collisions, and more strategy-focused communication. Players reported higher collaboration, sense of achievement, enjoyment, and overall preference for physical co-op. This work opens a new design space for co-located play and offers guidance for designing embodied co-op experiences.

Research has shown that walking during meetings improves creativity, memory, attention, health, and happiness. While mobile technologies have freed users from having to be stationary during virtual meetings, mobile phones pose several usability challenges, such as reduced productivity due to small screens and safety concerns. In this paper, we present the first exploration of augmented reality (AR) interface design for virtual meetings in real-world walking conditions. We conducted design sessions in-situ with 16 user interface and AR designers using a 2x2 experimental design: meeting while walking in two levels of traffic conditions and with two types of meeting formats. Results show that the designed AR windows averaged 14.5 times in viewing size compared to the most popular smartphone screens. Also, Traffic Level significantly affected the size, opacity, and placement of windows, as well as the preference of anchoring modes, while Meeting Format significantly affected size and opacity. Furthermore, clustering analysis identified two groups of designs that can serve as initial reference designs for further customization and research.

This paper explores the feasibility of deliberately designing VR motion that diverges from users’ physical movements to turn mundane, everyday transportation motion (e.g., metros, trains, and cars) into more entertaining VR motion experiences, in contrast to prior car-based VR approaches that synchronize VR motion to physical car movement exactly. To gain insight into users’ preferences for veering rate and veering direction for turning (left/right) and pitching (up/down) during the three phases of acceleration (accelerating, cruising, and decelerating), we conducted a formative, perceptual study (n=24) followed by a VR experience evaluation (n=18), all conducted on metro trains moving in a mundane, straight-line motion. Results showed that participants preferred relatively high veering rates, and preferred pitching upward during acceleration and downward during deceleration. Furthermore, while veering decreased comfort as expected, it significantly enhanced immersion (p<.01) and entertainment (p<.001) and the overall experience, with comfort being considered, was preferred by 89% of participants.