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Usability evaluation techniques for virtual reality technologies

Mania Aikaterini, Stephen Ellis, Alan Chalmers, Mark Billinghurst, Anthony Steed

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Summary

The research community is challenged to investigate the factors that make virtual reality technologies effective and productive. Realizing the goals of virtual reality systems and harnessing them to successful applications could be accomplished by employing robust metrics and human-centered experimentation. Subsequently, the quality of interfaces and platforms implemented could be assessed.This tutorial will present the techniques and principles towards designing usability evaluation experiments for virtual reality technologies. Starting from generic user studies guidelines, complete experimental cycles will be described from the initial idea and design, to pilot study, experimental redesign, data collection, analysis and post-experiment lessons learned. The tutorial will focus on the evaluation of immersive virtual reality systems, augmented/mixed reality systems as well as collaborative interaction including comparative studies with more traditional interfaces. Research areas such as quality metrics for computer graphics rendering algorithms, using reality as a benchmark in the testing process as well as measuring the notion of ëpresenceí and aftereffects, will be explored. In addition, physical and psychophysical fidelity issues in the assessment of virtual environments will be emphasized. Specifications for correct matching between the psychophysical characteristics of the displays and the human users' sensory and motor systems will be discussed as well as some examples of the consequences when systems fail to be physically well matched to their users.

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