A Comparative User Study of a 2D and an Autostereoscopic 3D Display for a Tympanoplastic Surgery

This paper presents the design and execution of a comparative experimental between-participant study with 42 participants. We investigated depth perception comparing a 2D display with a glasses-free 3D autostereoscopic display in detail and conducted a follow-up study with the new 3D zSpace technology including a stylus as input device. This work comprises the design of a tympanoplastic training scenario used as the study’s "real world task". Participants had to position a prosthesis implant to reconstruct the ossicular chain and thus a patient’s hearing ability. The study revealed an overwhelming support of the 3D autostereoscopic display compared to a 2D display regarding depth judgment, task completion time and the number of required scene and prosthesis interactions.