Development of a virtual reality usability framework that correlates physiological and qualitative assessment data

虚拟现实（VR）作为一种消费级技术，目前正在获得发展势头。然而，必须解决各种开放式研究问题，特别是在用户界面和可用性方面，才能更成功地推广。本研究项目的重点是通过用户指标开发VR严肃游戏的用户界面和可用性评估框架。用户度量包括与以下各项相关联的参数：i）VR交互期间物理环境的影响，ii）测试期间用户的高可变性（例如，年龄、性别、专业知识、健康状况），iii）VR硬件的持续发展，iv）沉浸期间硬件的可能影响和干扰，以及v）缺乏VR标准化可用性评估，这已经看到了传统可用性问卷的使用（例如，系统可用性量表、用户满意度调查问卷、软件可用性测量量表和研究后系统可用性调查问卷等），鉴于虚拟场景中发生的独特交互（例如，运动和身体姿势）。拟议的研究计划将导致：i）更好地理解VR可用性，为VR交互设计和开发知识和工具，ii）开发一种新的VR用户界面和可用性框架，允许将生理数据与可用性问卷和统计学相结合。iii）开发将可用性调查问卷和统计学与生理VR交互数据相关联的技术，以及iv）设计师，开发人员和爱好者可以用来设计可用的VR体验的VR可用性的一组指南和最佳实践。拟议的研究计划也将对VR社区产生影响，因为目前消费级VR硬件和软件开发工具的使用导致了许多一刀切的解决方案缺乏适当的VR设计和评估，这将对VR的广泛应用产生负面影响。总的来说，拟议的研究计划将为VR交互的设计，评估和评估开发更有效，更全面的用户界面和框架。这项研究的结果可能会对加拿大政府通过创新实现包容的举措产生积极影响，其中VR在提供安全，受控和受监控的学习，培训，社会包容和娱乐应用等体验方面发挥着重要作用。此外，VR市场的增长被认为具有重大影响，因为VR被世界经济论坛确认为第四次工业革命。

Virtual reality (VR) is currently gaining momentum as a consumer-level technology. However, various open research issues must be addressed, particularly with respect to user interfaces and usability before it becomes more successfully widespread. This research program focuses on the development of a user interface and a framework for usability assessment in VR serious games through user metrics. User metrics include parameters associated to: i) the effects of the physical environment during VR interactions, ii) the high variability of users during testing (e.g., age, gender, expertise, health conditions), iii) the continuous development of VR hardware, iv) possible influence and interference of hardware during immersion, and v) the lack of VR standardized usability evaluations, which has seen the use of traditional usability questionnaires (e.g., System Usability Scale, Questionnaire of User Satisfaction, Software Usability Measurement Inventory, and Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire amongst others), which may not convey proper assessments given the unique interactions occurring in virtual scenarios (e.g., locomotion and body gestures). The proposed research program will lead to: i) a greater understanding of VR usability to develop a body of knowledge and tools for VR interaction design and development, ii) the development of a novel VR user interface and usability framework that allows integrating physiological data with usability questionnaires and heuristics. iii) development of a technique to correlate the usability questionnaire and heuristics with the physiological VR interaction data, and iv) a set of guidelines and best practices for VR usability that designers, developers, and enthusiast may employ to design usable VR experiences. The proposed research program will also an impact in the VR community as the current employment of consumer-level VR hardware and software development tools, has resulted in the availability of numerous one-size-fits-all solutions lacking proper VR design and assessment, and this will negatively affect the widespread application of VR.***Collectively, the proposed research program will result in a path to develop a more effective and comprehensive user interface and framework for the design, assessment and evaluation of VR interactions. The results of this research may positively impact Canadian Government initiatives oriented at inclusion through innovation where VR plays an important role to provide safe, controlled, and monitored experiences with learning, training, social inclusion, and entertainment applications, amongst others. Additionally, the growth of the VR market is considered to have a major impact since VR is being acknowledged as the fourth industrial revolution by the World Economic Forum.