Promoting Social Connections and The Inclusiveness of Mixed Reality Technologies by Design

Description

Immersive technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), have gained
widespread adoption, particularly in the fields of education, accessibility, and healthcare. With
a rapidly increasing user base, it is expected that these technologies will have a significant
impact on human-computer interaction. However, the use of Head Mount Display (HMD)
devices by some individuals can lead to isolation and exclusion of non-HMD users, resulting
in a separation between the real and digital worlds that can be detrimental to human-computer
interaction. This has led to the emergence of a new research direction focused on cross-reality
interaction, with an emphasis on the use of physical feedback devices to facilitate interaction
between VR users and the natural environment. While some designers and researchers
have considered the use of physical feedback to enhance the VR user experience, few have
examined the potential for creating novel interactions between different end-users through
these devices. The use of physical feedback to facilitate interactions between VR and non-VR
users is an important, but challenging, goal. To address this issue, this research project will
utilize a Research through Design (RTD) approach to create an interactive cross-reality
system with physical feedback devices and asymmetric games. This research is vital for
improving cross-reality interactivity for VR/AR users and non-VR users, and will help make
VR technology more inclusive for a wide range of user types.
These issues have recently led to a new research direction - cross-reality interaction.
Physical feedback devices are also considered an effective means of facilitating interaction
between VR users and their natural environment. While many researchers and interaction
designers have focused on enhancing the user experience in VR with the help of physical
feedback devices, little attention has been paid to the importance of facilitating interactions
between different end users by adapting physical feedback devices. Therefore, using the
RTD design methodology, I will create an interactive cross-reality system with physical
feedback devices. The project will explore how physical feedback and cross-reality
interaction affects the asymmetric game design and how VR users interact with regular
users. This research project is critical to improving cross-reality interactivity for both
VR / AR users and regular users. It will enable VR technology to become more inclusive
across many user types.

Period	1 Feb 2022 → 1 Jan 2023
Examinee	Kedong chai
Examination held at	Department of Industrial Design