A Discussion on Accessibility, Inclusivity, Cultural Design Considerations, and Health & Safety Advisories for Virtual Reality Head Mounted Displays

Abstract

With the exponential growth in availability of Virtual Reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs), this study aims to discuss Health & Safety advisory information provided by VR products and observe the extent to which each platform considers accessibility and inclusive and culturally informed design. To this end, five commercially available PC-based VR HMDs, and their corresponding setup applications were assessed in this study - the Oculus Quest 2, Oculus Rift S, Samsung Odyssey, HTC Vive Pro, and Varjo XR-3. Three proto personas were created to evaluate these platforms from various perspectives. VR HMDs are moving in the right direction to consider diverse populations in animation design, but there is room for improvement regarding individuals with visual, auditory, or mobility restrictions. Advancements in multimodal sensory cues and inclusive design considerations may increase adoption of VR technologies as well as compliance with Health & Safety advisory information