Identifying Interactions for Virtual Reality; a Study of Collaboration and Engagement in Different Media

Abstract

Designers use many methods and techniques to develop ideas and quickly generate concepts. Often these include collaboration and engagement with post-it notes. Technology has enabled exercises using post-it notes to be accessed beyond the physical realm, as digital forms of the post-it-note exist in software applications. This study focused on the experience of using collaborative tools for design thinking practices using post-it notes in face-to-face and digital activities in order to discover common features that could be applied in the design of virtual reality design thinking tools. It found that some common activities in face-to-face collaborative design thinking interactions among designers, such as navigation, selection, manipulation, text input, among others differed from interactions in 2D and 3D Virtual Environments. Study participants worked on design thinking exercises in three different teams using three different types of media (face-to-face, 2D digital, and 3D virtual reality). The teams' behaviours were analyzed to identify and classify the different kinds of interactions that took place. Once these interactions were identified, common and unique gestures were grouped for further analysis. Patterns of activity intensity were identified within and across teams, providing the opportunity to make recommendations about features that could be improved to better suit design collaboration and the user experience in virtual reality.