What are some engaging and fun ways to design VR user research studies?

Designing engaging VR user research studies involves creating scenarios that align with your goals. For usability testing, ensure the interface is used within a relevant context. To gauge emotional and behavioral reactions, create experiences that evoke specific emotions without overwhelming participants, allowing them to concentrate on the tasks and questions at hand. The key is to balance fun and engagement with the ability to maintain focus on the research objectives.

Se trata de una de las dimensiones más complejas a la hora de implementar recursos basado en entornos inmersivos de Realidad Virtual, principalmente porque los docentes, quienes manejan el contenido pedagógico y aspectos metodológicos de la enseñanza, no son diseñadores ni programadores, ni cuentan con experiencia en dicha materia. Y, por el contrario, diseñadores y programadores de experiencias virtuales, carecen de dominio tecno pedagógico y metodológico para la implementación de recursos de este tipo en el ámbito de la educación formal. Esta es una de las grandes tareas a resolver de cara a contar con mayor cantidad de experiencias y recursos que den cuenta de los propósitos u objetivos que se tienen para desarrollar escenarios virtuales

I agree and to add, there are many gamification aspects that match a good VR application. Story telling interface, guiding the user’s journey in the app/game, not only a tutorial but a complete flow that makes the app easier to navigate. You can use visual feedback with colors to indicate different paths, the use of sound to guide the user in VR is often put aside. Another aspect is the badges, visual representation that you know how to use the system, make this visible to others and people may start share information how/what works in the said application. Badges that only the player can see will not impact as much. Use gamification to boost the use of your application, avoid using just because it is fun, make if collaborative.

Este elemento, la gamificación, es crucial para ofrecer una experiencia educativa exitosa o, al menos, tenga un impacto positivo en el aprendizaje y, por consiguiente, el recurso o herramienta tecnológica tenga sentido pedagógico. En estudios que hemos realizado, y la experiencia científica en este campo, da cuenta de la importancia de ofrecer una experiencia educativa que no solo se base en el escenario, sino que tenga una continuidad pedagógica con otras estrategias que complementan el uso del recurso tecnológico. De lo contrario, la experiencia, altamente motivante, pierde sentido con el tiempo y el recurso deja de ser efectivo.

Agree. Also, since it is a VR experience, we can move away from the traditional research method (more of sitting and completing a task) to be more interactive. For example, we can turn the research methodology into a VR experience, then immerse the participants into it a collect real-time data. Even for participants, this would be more fun and take the pressure off them.

There are three primary tools that one can use as different methods here: - Static: An experience designed to capture answers to questions. Example: presenting a series multiple choice question in this immersive format is used in neuropsychology because it allows the patient to be removed from the environment they’re physically in, have a confidential space to answer intimate questions, etc. - Interactive: Where you ask the user to do a series of exercises, actions, or movements. - Analytical: Where you use a combination of the above two, but measure how much time it took the user, where they were looking, etc. and measure against predefined metrics.

Todo estudio que implique trabajo con humanos debe considerar un diseño metodológico de investigación basado en una metodología mixta. Contar con datos cuantitativos que validen la efectivad de un recurso es muy importante, sin embargo, quizás más importante es la validación de contenido que pueden ofrecer los usuarios, puesto que esta visión ofrece mayor espacio para el proceso de revisión y mejora del recurso. La triangulación de datos, y su posterior análisis, ofrece una sólida fuente de conclusiones provenientes de la investigación.

VR research involves studying how people interact with and experience virtual environments. To make this research engaging, actively involve participants in the design process: 1. Ask for Opinions: - Talk to them about what they think and what they'd like in the VR. 2. Show Ideas: - Share your plans and designs to get their thoughts. 3.Let Them Try Early: - Give them a chance to test what you're making, even if it's not finished. 4.Listen to Feedback: - Pay attention to what they say—good or bad— and make changes based on that. 5.Make It Fun: - Try to make the research sessions enjoyable so people stay interested. By involving them, you get ideas and make sure what you're doing is something they'll like and find useful.

To infuse engagement and enjoyment into VR user research studies, actively involve participants in the design process through creative methods. Conduct co-creation workshops and design thinking sessions where participants contribute ideas, fostering a sense of ownership. Use storytelling exercises to incorporate their narrative input, and encourage interactive prototyping to capture their preferences for virtual scenarios.

In my experience, involving participants in the design process of VR experiements has been greatly enhanced by starting with non-VR settings. This approach includes utilizing simple tools like pen and paper, engaging in in-person role-playing and leveraging video calls. For example, before conducting any VR experiments, I would initially outline the concept and physically act it out. This method allowed me to gather immediate feedback, which was instrumental in refining the experiment. Subsequently, I recorded the VR sessions and presented them to participants for further input. This iterative process significantly enhanced the final VR experiments, making them more seamless and engaging.

Besides providing many different modalities, everything could be collected as data, serving the research questions. For example, if a researcher is trying to capture interaction between participants, they can collect data from side conversations, hand tracking, or eye tracking. and for sure, the consent form needs to detail all these data collections, how they would be used, and when they will be permanently deleted.