Doug Bowman

About

Doug Bowman is a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Virginia Tech. His research interests include virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D user interfaces, human-computer interaction, and virtual environments. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from Georgia Institute of Technology, obtained in 1999, and also earned a master's degree in computer science from Georgia Tech in 1997. His undergraduate degree is a B.S. in mathematics and computer science from Emory University, completed in 1994. Bowman is involved in advancing the understanding and development of immersive technologies and user interfaces, contributing to the fields of virtual and augmented reality.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Human–computer interaction
• Engineering
• Multimedia
• Knowledge management
• Telecommunications
• Operating system
• Simulation
• Computer vision

Selected publications

• Glanceable AR: Evaluating Information Access Methods for Head-Worn Augmented Reality

  2020 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR) · 2020 · 94 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Augmented reality head-worn displays (AR HWDs) have the potential to assist personal computing and the acquisition of everyday information. In this research, we propose Glanceable AR, an interaction paradigm for accessing information in AR HWDs. In Glanceable AR, secondary information resides at the periphery of vision to stay unobtrusive and can be accessed by a quick glance whenever needed. We propose two novel hands-free interfaces: "head-glance", in which virtual contents are fixed to the us…

  DOI

• Do we still need physical monitors? An evaluation of the usability of AR virtual monitors for productivity work

  2021 · 83 citations

  Physical monitors require space, lack flexibility, and can become expensive and less portable in large setups. Virtual monitors, on the other hand, can minimize those problems, but may be subject to technological limitations such as lower resolution and field of view. We investigate the impacts of using virtual monitors displayed on a current state-of-the-art augmented reality headset for conducting productivity work. We conducted a user study that compared physical monitors, virtual monitors, a…

  DOI

• Evaluating the Potential of Glanceable AR Interfaces for Authentic Everyday Uses

  2021 · 64 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  In the near future, augmented reality (AR) glasses are envisioned to become the next-generation personal computing platform. They could be always on and worn all day, delivering continuous and pervasive AR experiences for general-purpose everyday use cases. However, it remains unclear how we could enable unobtrusive and easy information access without distracting users, while being acceptable to use at the same time. To address this question, we implemented two prototypes based on the Glanceable…

  DOI

• Mixed reality environment for learning sensing technology applications in Construction: A usability study

  Advanced Engineering Informatics · 2022 · 54 citations

  DOI

• Investigating the Influence of Playback Interactivity during Guided Tours for Asynchronous Collaboration in Virtual Reality

  2025-03-08 · 7 citations

  articleSenior author

  Collaborative virtual environments allow workers to contribute to team projects across space and time. While much research has closely examined the problem of working in different spaces at the same time, few have investigated the best practices for collaborating in those spaces at different times aside from textual and auditory annotations. We designed a system that allows experts to record a tour inside a virtual inspection space, preserving knowledge and providing later observers with insight…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• CGV: Small: Collaborative Research: Immersive Visualization and 3D Interaction for Volume Data Analysis

  NSF · $250k · 2013–2017

• EXP: Exploring the potential of mobile augmented reality for scaffolding historical inquiry learning

  NSF · $549k · 2013–2016

• CAREER: Domain-Specific 3D Interaction Techniques for Design and Construction Tasks in Immersive Virtual Environments

  NSF · $500k · 2003–2009

Frequent coauthors

• Lee Lisle

  Virginia Tech

  32 shared

• Chris North

  Virginia Tech

  30 shared

• Feiyu Lu

  JPMorgan Chase & Co (United States)

  28 shared

• Eric D. Ragan

  26 shared

• Leonardo Pavanatto

  Virginia Tech

  24 shared

• Ryan P. McMahan

  University of Central Florida

  24 shared

• Wallace S. Lages

  Universidad del Noreste

  23 shared

• Shakiba Davari

  20 shared

Education

• Ph.D.

  Georgia Institute of Technology

  1999

Similar researchers at Virginia Tech

• Wenjing Louh-77
• Wu-chun Fengh-46
• Siwei Caoh-43