Scale Estimation for Design Decisions in Virtual Environments: Understanding the Impact of User Characteristics on Spatial Perception in Immersive Virtual Reality Systems

User spatial perception in different virtual environments may vary based on specific user characteristics and the features of the Virtual Reality (VR) system. This research explored the impacts of user characteristics such as age, gender, and design knowledge on spatial decision-making by comparing an Immersive Virtual Reality Interactive Environment (IVRIE) with a traditional Virtual Reality system (also known as desktop-based Virtual Reality system, abbreviated herein as the DT system). Users’ spatial perceptions when using IVRIE and a DT system were studied with regard to the features of the different systems, including the types of immersion and interaction, users’ perceptions of human body scale, and how the environments were explored. The factors affecting the two systems included texture variation, type of enclosure, and spatial function. Inferential testing using quantitative data was applied to identify differences between the two systems in terms of participants’ actual design outcomes. The results showed that based on the type, spatial characteristics, and texture of spaces, perception filters could have both active and inactive roles in impacting the spatial decision-making of participants between the two systems. In addition, between the two systems, participant characteristics had more impact on size variations for both types of spaces—fully enclosed and corridors—for accommodating larger groups.

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