AR Presentation of Team Members’ Performance and Inner Status to Their Leader: A Comparative Study

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Authors,

I have had the opportunity to conduct a thorough review of your manuscript, which investigates the impact of stress feedback and visualization techniques on team performance. I would like to commend you on your extensive research efforts and the valuable contributions your work makes to the field. The topic is undoubtedly significant, and your findings offer insightful perspectives on team dynamics and management.

Based on the analysis conducted in the manuscript, I find that the research design is appropriate and effectively addresses the research questions posed. Key elements contributing to this assessment include:

1. The study employs suitable research methods, such as experiments in a virtual reality environment, which are apt for assessing the impact of stress feedback and visualization techniques on team performance.

2. The statistical analysis techniques used, including ANOVA tests, Wilcoxon tests, and other methods, are appropriate for the type of data collected and allow for a rigorous evaluation of the study's findings.

3. The design of the study is closely linked to the research questions posed, providing an appropriate methodology to address them.

4. The use of a VR experimental platform to simulate a team working environment offers a high level of experimental realism, which is crucial for understanding the impact of stress and workload on team performance.

However, I believe that certain aspects of the manuscript could be further refined to enhance its overall impact and clarity. My primary suggestion revolves around a more in-depth discussion of the study's limitations. Specifically, the use of virtual operators and the absence of a metric for measuring collaborative presence are pivotal aspects that could be elaborated on more comprehensively. This would not only provide a clearer context for your findings but also help in delineating the scope and applicability of your research more effectively.

Moreover, such an expansion would facilitate a better understanding among readers about how these limitations might influence the interpretation and generalization of your results, thereby strengthening the manuscript's academic rigor and practical relevance.

Given the nature of the research, involving stress monitoring and personal data, the manuscript would benefit from a deeper discussion on ethical and privacy implications.

I am confident that addressing these points will substantially enhance the clarity, applicability, and depth of your research. This, in turn, will ensure that your work comprehensively addresses a range of significant issues, resonating with both theoretical and practical dimensions of the field.

Regards,

Reviewer

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper proposes to examine methods for visualizing each team member’s status in mixed reality, which, combined with a simulated stress model for virtual team members, allows the team leader to take into account team members’ individual statuses when choosing who to allocate work.

 The topic is interesting and very relevant.

The paper is not very clearly written.

Conclusions on the state of the art are not very useful, unless they are a systematic review of the literature.

Figure 1 appears at the beginning of the article, which is a bit confusing! Must appear next to the reference in the text.

The methodology does not exist. It would be useful to clarify the methodology.

 

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript, entitled "AR Presentation of Team Members' Performance and Inner Status to Their Leader: A Comparative Study", examines methods for visualising the status of individual team members in mixed reality. Using simulated AR in VR, a study was conducted in which participants acted as team leaders, assigning tasks to simulated team members while monitoring their stress and status. The study found that providing AR feedback on team members' internal state increased overall team performance, as leaders were better able to reassign tasks to reduce stress-related errors and maximise output. Participants preferred a graphical representation of stress levels, although they performed better with a textual representation.

 

The study fits well with the content of the journal Applied Sciences, particularly the Computing and Artificial Intelligence section and the Special Issue on Advanced Technologies and Applications of Augmented and Virtual Reality. However, there are several aspects that could be improved in order to enrich the manuscript:

 

1. it would be useful to emphasise and detail how the integration of AR and VR in this context provides a unique or enhanced solution for team performance and stress management. How this approach differs from other existing methods and its specific advantages could strengthen the contribution of the study.

 

2. More explicit comparisons with other studies or methods related to visualising performance and stress in work settings could be included, which would help readers to better understand the context and relevance of the research.

 

3. It would be beneficial to explore and discuss the practical applications of these findings in real work settings - how could these techniques be implemented in different industries and what would be the practical challenges?

 

4. It would be valuable to expand on the limitations section to address possible challenges in the practical implementation and adaptability of these techniques in different work settings, and to suggest directions for future research based on the findings.

 

5. Provide more details on the user interface and user experience when using these AR and VR visualisations. How were these interfaces designed and tested to ensure their effectiveness and ease of use?

 

6. Reinforce how this work contributes to the field of AR and VR, particularly in the areas of stress management and team performance, and how this study aligns with current and future trends in these areas.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors,

thank you for this well-written paper. The article in its present form is very good, scientifically sound, interesting, and covers all the required aspects.

In general, it could be accepted as it is from my perspective. However, some minor questions / recommendations from my side:

- Figure 2 and 3 are quite far away from their explanation and mention. Maybe, they can be arranged on one page to also have a visual comparison without having to move to the next page. 

- your experiments are all quite short. Did you consider longer experiments (2 or more hours) to evaluate, if that produces a different effect? Or can you provide any evidence, that results of short experiments are reliable also for long-term cases?

- was there also an evaluation of the stress of the team leader? 

- In section 6, I would recommend to add references for the mentioned analysis methods (e.g., Shapiro-Wilk, Wilcoxon, Friedman, Maulchy, ...)

- did you also evaluate other forms of presentation, e.g. using different setups of your panels, other visualizations? 

- in the limitations section, I would also mention the duration of the experiment, and the focus on a single textual and graphical visualization, as well as the stress-factor for the team leader. 

Thanks in advance!

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper is much better with the changes made.