Framework of Multiuser Satisfaction for Assessing Interaction Models Within Collaborative Virtual Environments

Abstract

Collaborative virtual environments (VEs) require interaction models for resolving conflicts and promoting multiuser collaboration. Common models, such as the first-come-first-serve (FCFS) model, which grants interaction opportunities to the most agile user, and the static priority model, which gives interaction opportunities to the user with the highest predefined priority, disregard the importance of perceiving equality in interaction (EII) among all users. One exception is the dynamic priority (DP) model, as proposed in our earlier work, which grants interaction opportunities to a user based on the recency of his/her gained opportunities. To date, few research efforts have investigated the effect of interaction models on multiuser satisfaction. This paper hence presents an assessment of the DP model's effect on multiuser satisfaction within a collaborative VE. We first verified that the DP model allowed multiple users to perceive EII. We then conducted an experiment to examine the effect of the DP and FCFS models on multiuser satisfaction under a quasi-practical scenario that mimicked a decision-making meeting of experts. The framework of the examination was based on several metrics, which we proposed for the components of the ISO/IEC 25010:2011 standard. This framework resolved issues with existing metrics that measure user satisfaction by analyzing individual experience, thus omitting EII desired by multiple users. The results of the experiment indicated that the DP model fulfilled the metrics of the framework significantly better than the FCFS model. This observation implies a potential application of the DP model in collaborative VEs where multiuser satisfaction is the key to productive collaboration.