Quantitative Analysis and Mitigation of the Impact of Network Latency on Video Conferencing Communication Efficiency

Abstract

Objective

To quantitatively analyze the impact of network latency on video conferencing communication efficiency, guide network latency design standards, and evaluate mitigation strategy.

Background

Network latency substantially affects the quality of video conferencing. Existing research has focused on subjective assessments. Networking designers require quantitative latency guidelines.

Method

This research involved two studies: one quantifying the effect of network latency on task performance and the other testing a mitigation strategy. Each study involved two experiments: one (N = 60) using a building block “exploratory task” and the second (N = 30) using a text communication “validation task.” We followed similar test procedures across the experiments, using a different pool of participants for each of the four. For the second study, we also modified the apparatus by adding a foot pedal and light.

Results

The completion time for the building block experiment increased with higher latency. Linear regression analysis showed that one-way network latency added approximately 2.6 s per second of delay in each communication round. We observed similar patterns in the text-based experiment. The mitigation strategy involving low-latency communication feedback on the speaker’s intent substantially reduced mean task completion time under high-latency conditions.

Conclusion

This research provides equations that describe the relationship between one-way network latency and communication efficiency. Implementing low-latency communication feedback on the speaker’s intent can mitigate the impact of latency.

Application

Network designers can refer to the conclusions of this research to specify network latency requirements. Video conferencing manufacturers can adopt the mitigation strategy to reduce the negative impacts of high network latency.