# Towards the Evaluation of Augmented Reality in the Metaverse: Information Presentation Modes
## 2 Related Work  
AR is an emerging technology that is becoming increasingly important in the industrial field [23; 24] thanks to its capability of showing virtual information referenced in a real context. Although its potentialities are widespread, there are still many challenges for AR usage in industrial scenarios, such as hardware constraints, environmental changeability, interaction methods, and tracking issues [25; 26; 27]. These challenges lead to AR applications developed with poor versatility and a long development cycle [28]. Moreover, as stated by [PERSON] et al. [29], the literature is lacking in studies on how visual information should be correctly delivered. It is necessary to understand which visual assets are understood and accepted by users before their usage in a real scenario. In this regard, therefore, it is necessary to find a solution that ensures rapid experiments to evaluate the behavior of a large number of users in order to obtain consistent data. To achieve this goal, in our work, we propose a testing tool for desktop devices that exploits simulated AR to carry out experiments on AR information presentation. In recent years, the design of AR interfaces was supported by simulating real environments through virtual environments (VEs). VEs have been used in numerous different domains, such as vehicle design, architecture, construction, and industrial plant design [30]. Previous works [12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 31] revealed that using a simulated AR system for user evaluation ensures results that are comparable to true AR, but with lower costs and without the problem of managing different devices and real-life locations. As pointed out by [PERSON] et al. [13], simulated AR applications should have two main characteristics to be effective. First, they should offer an adequate degree of virtual immersion, intended as the capability to deliver \"an inclusive, extensive, surrounding, and vivid illusion of reality [32]\". Second, the 3D interaction with the virtual environment (navigation and the manipulation of objects) should be intuitive. However, while the first characteristic can be managed by providing the desired level of visual realism [31], the user's 3D interaction in simulated AR is completely different from true AR [33] and highly depends on the display used. Users navigate and manipulate virtual objects rather than real ones with all of the additional technical issues related to physical interactions (e.g., the unpredictability of virtual object behavior, collision, and attaching) [11]. [PERSON] et al. [13] proposed a solution to overcome the problem of grabbing unpredictability in a simulated VE using a virtual wristband that changes color and gives users vibration feedback when they grab the correct virtual object. Moreover, in order to facilitate immersion, ease of interaction, and physical awareness, they equipped the simulated VE with a virtual representation of users' own bodies. A similar approach was used by [PERSON] et al. [14] with a simulated real hand. In their work, the collision issue was also discussed and solved by using high-contrast colors for interacting objects. [PERSON] et al. [34] developed a system that estimated the hand pose to directly manipulate a virtual model during assembly task planning by calculating the hand strain. In these and other similar works [11; 15; 16], 3D interaction is then accomplished using complex devices, such as Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays, game controllers, motion capture gloves, and depth cameras. However, these devices are not easily distributable to users to carry out experiments from a remote location. Considering the benefits of simulated AR [12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 31], in this work, we propose a DSTE that allows users to carry out experiments remotely on information presentation in AR. This solution could be used to solve common issues, such as the lack of physical equipment to perform component location tasks and the long time required to collect a large sample of users.