Understanding the Effects of Virtual Reality System Usage on Spatial Perception: The Potential Impacts of Immersive Virtual Reality on Spatial Design Decisions

Sahand Azarby () and Arthur Rice
Additional contact information
Sahand Azarby: College of Design, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
Arthur Rice: College of Design, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-24

Abstract: The main component of any Virtual Reality (VR) system is the human user. The ways in which a VR system shapes human experience can affect design outcomes. This research explores the differences in spatial perception between an immersive Virtual Reality Interactive Environment (IVRIE) and traditional Virtual Reality (also known as a desktop-based Virtual Reality system, abbreviated herein as the DT system). Spatial perception and the cognition of the spatial factors of virtual spaces were studied based on different features of the two systems, including the sense of immersion, forms of interaction, experience of human scale, and movement through virtual spaces. This study focused on determining how users’ spatial decision making and performance were affected by differences in spatial perception created by the IVRIE and DT systems. Factors examined included the differences between and within the two virtual systems, based on differences in texture, system usage sequence, and the complexity of the experiential/spatial guidelines. Descriptive and inferential statistical testing using quantitative and qualitative data were used to find differences in spatial perception and decision making. The results showed significant space size variations produced by participants between and within the two different VR systems.

Keywords: virtual reality; immersive virtual environment; spatial perception; spatial decision making; immersion; interaction; user experience; spatial design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10326/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/16/10326/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:16:p:10326-:d:892466

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().