Virtual Reality User Research Articles

Investigating the impact of online learning platforms on student engagement and learning outcomes

With the advent of new technologies such as virtual reality (VR), educators have shown interest in using them to enhance the online learning experience. To investigate the impact of VR on students' foreign language learning outcomes and engagement, a longitudinal comparative study was conducted. This study focused on learning small talk skills with two groups, an experimental group using VR and a comparison group using Zoom. Both groups met weekly to discuss small talk skills and bonding strategies in groups and practiced small talk in pairs. The student interactions were recorded on both platforms and graded by two raters at three points during the course. Additionally, students completed an engagement survey and participated in focus group interviews. Results showed that both groups improved their small talk skills over time with no significant difference in learning gains and engagement. Participants were divided into VR enthusiasts, who appreciated the enhanced sense of presence and identity through avatars, and VR sceptics, who doubted the value and usability of VR. To continue this project, the researchers aim to further leverage the benefits of VR in international contexts to promote cross-cultural communication.

Avatar Appearance and Behavior of Potential Harassers Affect Users' Perceptions and Response Strategies in Social Virtual Reality (VR): A Mixed-Methods Study

Sexual harassment has been recognized as a significant social issue. In recent years, the emergence of harassment in social virtual reality (VR) has become an important and urgent research topic. We employed a mixed-methods approach by conducting online surveys with VR users ( N = 166) and semi-structured interviews with social VR users ( N = 18) to investigate how users perceive sexual harassment in social VR, focusing on the influence of avatar appearance. Moreover, we derived users' response strategies to sexual harassment and gained insights on platform regulation. This study contributes to the research on sexual harassment in social VR by examining the moderating effect of avatar appearance on user perception of sexual harassment and uncovering the underlying reasons behind response strategies. Moreover, it presents novel prospects and challenges in platform design and regulation domains.

Does Who You Are or Appear to Be Matter?: Understanding Identity-Based Harassment in Social VR Through the Lens of (Mis)Perceived Identity Revelation

The popularity of social virtual reality (VR) platforms such as VRChat has led to growing concerns about new and more severe forms of online harassment targeting one's identity characteristics (i.e., identity-based harassment ). Social VR users with marginalized identities (e.g., women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and racial/ethnic minorities) have been reported as particularly vulnerable to such harassment. This is mainly because social VR can make one's offline identity known to others (i.e., what we term identity revelation in this work) through a unique combination of avatar design, voice use, and immersive full- or partial-body tracking. To address these safety concerns, there is an urgent need to unpack the complex dynamics surrounding how one's offline identity is (mis)perceived by others, and how these (mis)perceptions may affect identity-based harassment in social VR. This study thus utilizes a large-scale survey with 223 social VR users across six continents/regions of the world with varying social VR experiences and identities to investigate (1) the relationship between identity-based harassment in social VR and (mis)perceptions of selective identity revelation practices, (2) how embodying one's identity in social VR might actually be less risky than once thought, and (3) how who you are does still matter when it comes to identity-based harassment in social VR. It also highlights the need to better account for understudied aspects of identity-based harassment in social VR and to better educate social VR users on the interplay between harassment and (mis)perceived identity revelation in these spaces.

TouchMark: Partial Tactile Feedback Design for Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Virtual Reality.

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology, especially in medical rehabilitation, has expanded to include tactile cues along with visual stimuli. For patients with upper limb hemiplegia, tangible handles with haptic stimuli could improve their ability to perform daily activities. Traditional VR controllers are unsuitable for patient rehabilitation in VR, necessitating the design of specialized tangible handles with integrated tracking devices. Besides, matching tactile stimulation with corresponding virtual visuals could strengthen users' embodiment (i.e., owning and controlling virtual bodies) in VR, which is crucial for patients' training with virtual hands. Haptic stimuli have been shown to amplify the embodiment in VR, whereas the effect of partial tactile stimulation from tangible handles on embodiment remains to be clarified. This research, including three experiments, aims to investigate how partial tactile feedback of tangible handles impacts users' embodiment, and we proposed a design concept called TouchMark for partial tactile stimuli that could help users quickly connect the physical and virtual worlds. To evaluate users' tactile and comfort perceptions when grasping tangible handles in a non-VR setting, various handles with three partial tactile factors were manipulated in Study 1. In Study 2, we explored the effects of partial feedback using three forms of TouchMark on the embodiment of healthy users in VR, with various tangible handles, while Study 3 focused on similar investigations with patients. These handles were utilized to complete virtual food preparation tasks. The tactile and comfort perceptions of tangible handles and users' embodiment were evaluated in this research using questionnaires and interviews. The results indicate that TouchMark with haptic line and ring forms over no stimulation would significantly enhance users' embodiment, especially for patients. The low-cost and innovative TouchMark approach may assist users, particularly those with limited VR experience, in achieving the embodiment and enhancing their virtual interactive experience.

The presence of an avatar can reduce cybersickness in Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) applications are increasingly being utilized for research, healthcare, and education. Despite their benefits, many VR users report motion sickness-like sensations (cybersickness), such as headache, disorientation, or nausea. Previous studies suggest that the sense of presence (“being there”) in the virtual world may contribute to the severity of cybersickness; however, results have been contradictory, with some studies reporting a negative and some reporting a positive relationship between the two. The goal of the current study was to further investigate how presence and cybersickness are related. Participants (N = 54) were exposed to a VR scene presented on a head-mounted display showing a 15-minute-long passive movement through space. The level of presence was manipulated by including an avatar (astronaut suit with hand-tracking) or no avatar in the virtual environment. Results showed that the avatar group reported significantly less severe cybersickness compared to the no-avatar group. We also found significant, negative correlations between some of the presence metrics (immersion, sensory fidelity) and cybersickness, indicating that cybersickness severity decreased as the level of presence increased. These findings suggest that more immersive VR experiences using an avatar may potentially reduce the risk of experiencing cybersickness.

Optimizing data transmission in 6G software defined networks using deep reinforcement learning for next generation of virtual environments

Data transmission of Virtual Reality (VR) plays an important role in delivering a powerful VR experience. This increasing demand on both high bandwidth and low latency. 6G emerging technologies like Software Defined Network (SDN) and resource slicing are acting as promising technologies for addressing the transmission requirements of VR users. Efficient resource management becomes dominant to ensure a satisfactory user experience. The integration of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) allows for dynamic network resource balancing, minimizing communication latency and maximizing data transmission rates wirelessly. Employing slicing techniques further aids in managing distributed resources across the network for different services as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC). The proposed VR-based SDN system model for 6G cellular networks facilitates centralized administration of resources, enhancing communication between VR users. This innovative solution seeks to contribute to the effective and streamlined resource management essential for VR video transmission in 6G cellular networks. The utilization of Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) approaches, is presented as an alternative solution, showcasing significant performance and feature distinctions through comparative results. Our results show that implementing strategies based on DRL leads to a considerable improvement in the resource management process as well as in the achievable data rate and a reduction in the necessary latency in dynamic and large scale networks.

32 A randomized controlled trial of virtual reality-based distraction for intravenous cannulation-related distress in children

Abstract Background Children commonly experience under-treated pain and distress related to medical procedures, such as intravenous insertions (IVI), leading to both short- and long-term negative consequences for patients and their caregivers. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool to ameliorate procedure-related distress in the paediatric healthcare setting; however, existing evidence has largely employed custom VR software, which can be expensive and inaccessible. As such, we aimed to characterize whether commercially available VR applications are effective in reducing children’s procedure-related distress. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of commercially available VR-based distraction when added to standard of care (SOC, which included topical anesthetic cream), in reducing distress for children undergoing IVI in the paediatric emergency department (PED). Design/Methods Children aged 6 to 17 years requiring IVI in a Canadian PED were recruited for a two-arm randomized controlled trial. The primary outcome was child distress, measured using the Observational Scale of Behavioural Distress – Revised (OSBD-R, score range 0-23.5). Secondary outcomes included child pain intensity (measured with the Faces Pain Scale-Revised, score range 0-10) and caregiver anxiety [measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State (STAI-S), score range 20-80] during the procedure. Trial registration number: NCT04291404C. Results 82 children and their caregivers were included. 41 children received VR distraction in addition to SOC (mean age 10.8 years, SD 3.0), while 41 children received SOC alone (mean age 11.3 years, SD 2.8). There was no significant difference between OSBD-R-measured distress in the VR arm (mean 1.05, SD 1.52) compared to the SOC arm (mean 0.71, SD 1.40) (p = 0.08). There was no significant reduction in procedural pain intensity in the VR group (mean 4.20,SD 3.10) compared to the SOC group (mean 4.10, SD 3.20) (p = 0.85). There was no difference in caregiver STAI-S score immediately following IVI in the VR arm (mean 32.3, SD 11.3) versus the SOC arm (mean 32.3, SD 11.9) (p = 0.86). Conclusion VR distraction therapy employing commercially available software was not associated with reduction in procedural distress or pain, above that provided with SOC in the PED, for children undergoing IVI. This result highlights the need for more accessible custom VR distraction software, created to meet the unique psychological needs of children undergoing medical procedures. Further study is needed to directly compare custom versus commercially available VR software for this application.

Influence of Avatar Identification on the Attraction of Virtual Reality Games: Survey Study.

In gaming, the embodied interaction experience of avatars serves as a key to emotional sublimation in artistic creation. This presents the emotional expression of art in a more vivid form, which is a critical factor in the high attractiveness of virtual reality (VR) games to players. Intertwined with players' physiological and psychological responses, immersion is an essential element for enhancing gaming attractiveness. This study aims to explore how to help players establish a sense of identity with their embodied avatars in VR game environments and enhance the attractiveness of games to players through the mediating effect of immersion. We conducted a structured questionnaire survey refined through repeated validation. A total of 402 VR users were publicly recruited through the internet from March 22, 2024, to April 13, 2024. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS and Amos tools, including correlation analysis, regression analysis, and mediation effect verification. We divided the self-differentiation theory into 4 dimensions to validate their impact on avatar identification. Subsequently, we correlated the effects of avatar identification, game immersion, and game attractiveness and proposed a hypothetical mediating model. Regression analysis of the predictor variables and the dependent variable indicated a significant positive predictive effect (P<.001); the variance inflation factor values for each independent variable were all <5. In the hypothesis testing of the mediating effect, the total mediating effect was significant (P<.001). Regarding the direct impact, both the effect of avatar identification on immersion and the effect of immersion on game attractiveness were significant (P<.001). However, the direct effect of avatar identification on game attractiveness was not significant (P=.28). Regarding the indirect impact, the effect of avatar identification on game attractiveness was significant (P<.001). The results indicate a significant positive correlation between different dimensions of the self-differentiation theory and identification with avatars. Moreover, immersion in the game fully mediated the relationship between identification with avatars and game attractiveness. This study underscores that the embodiment of avatar identification is influenced by dimensions of self-differentiation, and the impact of identification with avatars on game attractiveness is contingent upon full mediation by immersion. These findings deepen our understanding of the role of avatar identification in VR gaming.

A pilot study of a virtual reality-based simulation platform for Neonatal Resuscitation Program training.

This pilot implementation study introduces a novel, neonatal-specific virtual reality (VR) simulation platform for resuscitation training and assesses its initial feasibility and reception in a neonatal intensive care unit setting. We developed a custom VR model simulating a resuscitation scenario for a 30-week neonate. Neonatal providers completed individualized training sessions and post-training surveys. Thirty-eight neonatal providers participated in the study. The VR platform was well-received, with 97% willing to use it again and 95% recommending it. Most participants (70.3%) found VR more realistic than traditional methods, with an average usefulness rating of 4.5/5. However, 40.5% reported adverse effects like eye strain and motion sickness. Feedback led to three significant VR platform upgrades. This study demonstrates strong enthusiasm for VR among neonatal providers. While promising, further research with larger samples and comparisons to traditional methods is needed to fully evaluate VR's effectiveness in neonatal resuscitation training.

A Bibliometric Analysis Exploring the Acceptance of Virtual Reality among Older Adults: A Review

In recent years, there has been a widespread integration of virtual reality (VR) technology across various sectors including healthcare, education, and entertainment, marking a significant rise in its societal importance. However, with the ongoing trend of population ageing, understanding the elderly’s acceptance of such new technologies has become a focal point in both academic and industrial discourse. Despite the attention it garners, there exists a gap in understanding the attitudes of older adults towards VR adoption, along with evident needs and barriers within this demographic. Hence, gaining an in-depth comprehension of the factors influencing the acceptance of VR technology among older adults becomes imperative to enhance its utility and efficacy within this group. This study employs renowned databases such as WoS and Scopus to scrutinize and analyze the utilization of VR among the elderly population. Utilizing VOSviewer software (version 1.6.20), statistical analysis is conducted on the pertinent literature to delve into research lacunae, obstacles, and recommendations in this domain. The findings unveil a notable surge in literature studies concerning VR usage among older adults, particularly evident since 2019. This study documents significant journals, authors, citations, countries, and research domains contributing to this area. Furthermore, it highlights pertinent issues and challenges surrounding the adoption of VR by older users, aiming to identify prevailing constraints, research voids, and future technological trajectories. Simultaneously, this study furnishes guidelines and suggestions tailored towards enhancing VR acceptance among the elderly, thereby fostering a more inclusive technological milieu. Ultimately, this research aspires to establish an encompassing technological ecosystem empowering older adults to harness VR technology for enriched engagement, learning, and social interactions.

Virtual reality for preoperative patient education: Impact on satisfaction, usability, and burnout from the perspective of new nurses.

Traditional paper-based preoperative patient education is a struggle for new nurses and requires extensive training. In this situation, virtual reality technology can help the new nurses. Despite its potential benefits, there are studies on patient satisfaction but there is limited information on the usability of virtual reality (VR) technology for new nurses in giving preoperative education to patients. To investigate the impact on satisfaction, usability, and burnout of a system using VR technology in preoperative patient education. The study involved 20 nurses from the plastic surgery ward and 80 patients admitted between April and May 2019. Each nurse taught four patients: Two using traditional verbal education and two using virtual reality. The System Usability Scale, After-Scenario Questionnaire, and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were employed to evaluate the impact of these education methods. The VR education groups showed a statistically higher satisfaction than the traditional verbal education groups. Among the three subscales of the MBI, emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment improved statistically significantly. VR was also better in terms of usability. This study suggests VR enhances usability and reduces burnout in nurses, but further research is needed to assess its impact on depersonalization and objective measures like stress and heart rate.

Can time flow differently if you are a virtual reality newcomer?

Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have entered many aspects of daily life (e.g., workplace, education, gaming). VR users report that time flows faster when immersed in a virtual environment. Such an effect is supported by recent scientific evidence (Mullen &amp; Davidenko, 2021). Indeed, a familiarity effect could foster such a time compression effect. To investigate this possibility, a between-subject design was adopted: in one condition, participants explored a virtual environment through a head-mounted display (HMD), whereas in the control condition, participants explored the same environment through a standard monitor. Participants were all instructed to produce an interval of 4 minutes so that longer produced durations in an interval production task were evidence of underestimation. Adopting a prospective time estimation paradigm, the time intervals produced were compared between the two conditions. Results confirmed the time compression effect: participants in the VR condition reported longer produced intervals than participants in the control condition. Furthermore, the significant interaction with levels of prior experience with VR technologies suggests that time compression effects may be more pronounced for VR newcomers, thus favoring an interpretation in terms of familiarity. The present findings provide valuable insights into the perception of time in virtual environments, suggesting the importance of continued research in this emerging technology. Limits, implications, and the need for further research are finally discussed.

Alone Together, Together Alone: The Effects of Social Context on Nonverbal Behavior in Virtual Reality

Abstract Social virtual reality (VR), by definition, focuses on people using networked VR systems to bring avatars together. Previous studies have examined how different factors affect social interaction, in small groups such as dyads or triads. However, in a typical social VR scene there tends to be dozens of avatars, even those not directly interacting with a given user. Furthermore, beyond the virtual environment, VR users are also situated in various immediate physical social contexts. In two field experiments, we investigate how the presence of virtual and physical people contextualize and influence nonverbal behaviors. Study 1 examines virtual context and asks how interacting with others in a private or public virtual environment influences nonverbal outcomes during interactions in a social VR platform. Across two sessions, participants (n = 104) met either in a private virtual environment with their group members alone or in a public environment surrounded by four other groups. Results showed that participants moved their avatars slower and stood closer to group members in public versus private environments. Study 2 examines physical context and asks how interacting with virtual others while physically together or alone influences nonverbal behaviors. Participants (n = 61) met in virtual environments while they were in either a shared physical environment or separated physical environments. Results showed that, compared to remote participants, participants who were physically together moved their bodies more slowly, but their avatars faster. Moreover, there was more mutual gaze among remote participants. We discuss implications to theories of social influence in VR.

Transforming Sedentary Lifestyles: The impact of remote VR and flat-screen interventions on affective attitudes towards physical exertion, guided by avatar or human trainers

This study advances understanding of the impact of flat-screen and virtual reality (VR) remote exercise environments in a home setting on affective attitudes towards physical exertion, with either a human or an avatar trainer.Employing a two-by-two factorial design, we manipulated both the medium (flat screen vs. VR) and the type of trainer (human vs. avatar). A total of 108 participants engaged in the study using a custom VR application for the Oculus Quest 2 headset or training videos, both prepared specifically for this study. The participants underwent a 15-min high-intensity interval training (HIIT) regimen, completing six workouts in their homes within fourteen days. Data on their exercise experiences and their affective attitudes towards exercise were collected using the CAWI technique. These were next analysed using a model that presumes that exercise experiences can increase motivation to exercise. We also studied the roles of spatial presence and trainer relatedness.Our results show that VR physical training shifted affective attitudes towards exercise positively, in contrast to the flat-screen groups. Moreover, using a digital avatar as a trainer had no negative effect on this favourable change in attitude. The change in affective attitude was influenced primarily by baseline levels and the wellbeing experienced during training. The factors we added to the original model—relatedness to the trainer and spatial presence—also contributed significantly to wellbeing. Perception of competence was a critical determinant of wellbeing, while perceived exertion was largely irrelevant. The HIIT protocol in the study was suitable for VR exercise.

Pivot: Panoramic-image-based VR User Authentication against Side-Channel Attacks

With metaverse attracting increasing attention from both academic and industry, the application of virtual reality (VR) has extended beyond 3D immersive viewing/gaming to a broader range of areas, such as banking, shopping, tourism, education, etc., which involves a growing amount of sensitive and private user data into VR systems. However, with current password-based user authentication schemes in mainstream VR devices, studies demonstrate that side-channel attacks can pose a severe threat to VR user privacy. To mitigate the threat, we propose a novel Panoramic-image-based VR user authentication system, i.e., Pivot , to defend against such attacks, yet maintain high usability. Specifically, in Pivot , we design an image-random-pivoting-based user interaction mechanism to assist users in quickly and securely selecting memorable points of interest in a panoramic image. Then an image region segmentation algorithm is designed to automatically scatter the points to regions to form the customized graphic password for the user, which could ensure a sufficiently large password space and also reduce the near-region point misclicks. Afterward, the region indexes are used to generate the hashed password for authentication. Both theoretical security analysis and extensive user studies demonstrate that Pivot is secure and user-friendly in practice.

2030: Impact & usability of virtual reality on emotional wellbeing of sarcoma patients:VR-SARC study

2030: Impact & usability of virtual reality on emotional wellbeing of sarcoma patients:VR-SARC study

Virtual Reality and Gamification in Hospitality Education at Front Desk

Virtual reality (VR) is recognized as an intelligent and digital technology that has impacted numerous sectors and environments. VR in the classroom acts like a digital tool for the students and the teachers to achieve educational goals as it enhances understanding, critical thinking, visualization levels, and problem-solving skills. In addition, gamification as a motivational factor is integrated with VR. This study investigates the usage of VR and gamification in hospitality educational environment mainly at the front desk. This is to be beneficial to an individual's knowledge and abilities, which should be prioritized in the future, and that earlier experience should be given credit for future employability and education quality.

Comparison of Tutorial Methods in Virtual Reality Games for a Better User Experience

The commercialisation of virtual reality (VR) headsets has made them more affordable and popular in gaming and entertainment. The natural interaction between the VR environment and users can maximise immersion and is crucial to VR gaming. Despite their growing popularity, educational VR games prioritise learning over immersion and require users to learn to interact with and play games using tutorials. Herein, we developed a game named Numverse with an accompanying tutorial. After selecting the tutorial content, we programmed the user interface and proposed a delivery method for the tutorial. We evaluated the user experience based on the effects of the presence or absence of the tutorial and its mode of delivery. The tutorials were of three types: no tutorial, instruction-screen tutorial, and context-sensitive tutorial, with the latter being the most preferred. The evaluation results show that presence, ability to learn controls, intrinsic motivation, and learning effectiveness are higher for the instruction-screen and context-sensitive tutorials than for no tutorial. On average, users experienced more motion sickness in the no-tutorial case, with a significant difference in nausea items. This study asserts the importance of tutorials in VR games, and its findings could improve user experience in future VR games.

Awe Inducing Elements in Virtual Reality Applications: A Prospective Study of Hospitalized Children and Caregivers.

Background: Hospitalized pediatric patients and their caregivers often experience anxiety and fear, resulting in withdrawal and aggression. Despite virtual reality (VR) being a safe and effective anxiolytic, it is unknown what software design aspects contribute to its effectiveness. This prospective observational study evaluated which VR application elements increased awe, which is correlated with improved behavior and satisfaction. Methods: Patients aged 6 to 25 years and their caregivers at an academic pediatric hospital interacted with a custom VR application that compared design aspects, including environment, graphics fidelity, and presence of a motivational character. Outcomes investigated self-reported awe, vastness, accommodation, and engagement. Data were analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA tests and correlation analyses. Results: A total of 202 participants were enrolled, and 179 (88 pediatric patients, 91 adult caregivers) were included in the final analysis. A fictional environment was more effective at increasing awe in pediatric patients (P = 0.030) compared with a realistic environment. However, increased graphics fidelity was more effective at increasing awe in caregiver adults (P = 0.023) compared with low resolution graphics. Presence of a motivational character did not influence awe in either patients or caregivers (P = 0.432, P = 0.904, respectively). All measures of awe were positively correlated with application engagement (P < 0.005). Conclusion: In conclusion, when software developers design VR software for pediatric patients and their caregivers, fictional settings and increased graphic fidelity should be considered for pediatric patients and adults, respectively. Future studies will explore other VR elements in gameplay settings.

The cat is out of the bag: the effect of virtual characters and scale cues on physics coherence

According to previous research, humans are exceptionally skilled at distinguishing earth-congruent object trajectories from earth-discrepant ones. Inconsistent scale cues in Virtual Reality (VR), however, are shown to easily confuse VR users’ scale, size, and distance estimations. This paper describes the results of two studies, with 40 participants each, which tested the effects of self-scaling, and size cues from active virtual characters, on perceived physics coherence (i.e., subjective realism). In the first study (Study A), a humanoid robot the size of a doll manipulated household objects to demonstrate their rigid body dynamics. The demonstration sequence was performed twice, once using a correct approximation of physics, and once using an incorrect one in which gravity was simulated similarly to as if the doll-sized robot was human-sized and the surrounding room was enlarged. The participants observed both demonstrations, once while standing at the normal scale and once at a reduced scale, similar to that of the humanoid robot. The second study (Study B) was similar, except that the virtual character demonstrating the physics was a regular-sized cat. Our preregistered hypotheses predicted that participants would consider the correct approximation of physics as better matching their expectations at normal scale, and the incorrect one as better matching their expectations at the reduced scale. However, only the second of these hypotheses was supported. According to our exploratory analyses, the participant’s own scale was a poor predictor of physics preference, and instead there was a significant effect regarding the virtual character’s identity. Participants observing the virtual cat were about eight times more likely to select the realistic physics model compared to those observing the humanoid robot. The results indicate that familiar cues tied to virtual character identity overrode any potential effects related to changes in the participants’ own scale.