AR visual search and cognitive load: an update from the ONR work

Our Office of Naval Research project studies how people search for and attend to information through augmented reality displays — and what that costs them cognitively. When an interface layers digital cues over the real world, where does attention actually go, and when does the overlay help versus hurt?

Recent sessions focused on how cue density and placement affect visual search time and error. Findings are feeding into design guidance for AR interfaces that respect the limits of human attention rather than overwhelming it. A paper is in preparation; we will post the author copy here once it is accepted.