Abstract
Technology is often framed in terms of space and time of use, such that a mobile phone is used to either send asynchronous messages or host synchronous conversations with remote others, while a classroom smartboard supports co-located, synchronous learning. As the technology becomes more immersive, the applicability of frameworks such as the time/place matrix becomes less clear. This study attempts to provide clarity by applying the Composite framework for Asymmetric VR (CAVR) to online forum descriptions of the use of immersive virtual reality (VR) in co-located groups. A related framework, Roles of Technology, is also explored; however, the authors argue the framework must be expanded before application of it beyond mobile technology. To better understand one possible solution to co-located VR’s isolation problem, a directed content analysis was conducted, exploring the discussion of co-located and asymmetric VR use on various subreddits. As a result, 11 patterns of co-located use of VR, including 8 which specify asymmetric VR designs, are identified. The researchers update the dimensions of CAVR according to these results, compare CAVR to another nascent framework, and offer suggestions for future work and applicability to practice. This work is intended to help guide future creation and research of asymmetric VR experiences through the deconstruction of existing asymmetric VR experiences to their key parts via the application of CAVR.
Highlights
Immersive virtual reality (VR) can be an isolating experience
While it was typical that the early years of research around group technology use followed groups in the same location to account for network limitations and experimental software, this trend was not seen for asymmetric VR, a form of mixed reality which merges non-immersive displays with immersive head-mounted display (HMD) to facilitate access to a shared workspace
In the initial review of the data, it quickly became clear that there are a multitude of ways to refer to the idea of using VR to play a game with a non-VR user
Summary
Immersive virtual reality (VR) can be an isolating experience. Once the head-mounted display (HMD) is on, the physical world and other people around the user disappear, replaced by a digital world which, when externally visible, is most commonly shown to outsiders via a stationary 2D screen. In 2019, Ens and others (Ens et al, 2019) noted that mixed reality instantiated a new kind of groupware, a form of collaborative digital workspaces commonly studied in the field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW). In their scoping review, they identified some trends in the ways people had begun using VR and some other device to collaborate, and they proposed an update to the way in which we understand groupware. The wisdom and creativity of the early adopters who have been trying to introduce naturally single-user hardware to their friends and family is largely ignored
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