Drawing into the AR-CANVAS: Designing Embedded Visualizations for Augmented Reality

With AR-CANVAS we introduce the notion of the augmented reality canvas for information visualization. This is beyond the traditional empty (white), rectangular, and flat-dimensional canvas seen in traditional information visualization. Instead, the AR-CANVAS describes the part of a viewer’s field-of-view where information visualization is rendered in-situ with respect to visible and potentially invisible real-world objects. The visual and spatial complexity of the canvas requires rethinking how to design visualizations for augmented reality. Based on an example of a library exploration scenario, we describe the essential aspects of the AR-CANVAS as well as dimensions for visualization design. We conclude with a brief discussion of challenges in designing visualizations into such a canvas.