Eye Movements and Spatial Presence: A Comparative Study of Three Conditions

In this study, researchers investigated user experience in virtual reality (VR) by analyzing how people perceive comfort and discomfort while navigating in VR. They found that the way users move around in VR can greatly affect their comfort level, with some techniques leading to fewer head movements and lower discomfort.
The study included 31 participants who completed a series of tasks in VR, including teleporting and using a manual technique to move around. The researchers used various measures to assess the users’ experience, such as the number of objects visited, the accuracy of object location, and the users’ perceived difficulty and pleasantness. They also analyzed the participants’ head movements and found that teleporting resulted in fewer head movements compared to manual navigation.
The study showed that there are different ways to navigate in VR, and some methods are more comfortable than others. Teleporting was found to be less tiring and led to fewer head movements compared to manual navigation. However, the difference between manual and teleport+animation (a combination of manual and teleporting) did not reach statistical significance, suggesting that these two techniques may have similar levels of comfort.
The study also found that users who used the teleporting technique had a lower perceived difficulty and pleasantness compared to those who used the manual technique. These findings suggest that teleporting may be more comfortable and enjoyable for users.
Overall, this study provides insights into how user experience can be improved in VR by optimizing navigation techniques. By understanding which techniques are most comfortable and enjoyable for users, developers can create more immersive and engaging VR experiences.