Investigating a Virtual Reality-based Emergency Response Scenario and Intelligent User Interface for First Responders

Abstract

Because advances in broadband capabilities will soon allow first responders to access and use many forms of data when responding to emergencies, it is becoming critically important to design heads-up displays to present first responders with information in a manner that does not induce extraneous mental workload or cause undue interaction errors. Virtual reality offers a unique medium for envisioning and testing user interface concepts in a realistic and controlled environment. In this paper, we describe a virtual reality-based emergency response scenario that was designed to support user experience research for evaluating the efficacy of intelligent user interfaces for firefighters. We describe the results of a usability test that captured firefighters’ feedback and reactions to the VR scenario and the prototype intelligent user interface that presented them with task critical information through the VR headset. The paper concludes with lessons learned from our development process and a discussion of plans for future research.

Evaluating the Usability of a Next-Generation Heads-Up Display for Firefighters in a Virtual Environment

“…Graphical User Interface Questionnaire (GUI). We used an 18-item instrument designed by the research team to identify which features of the HUD provided the most value for completing the mission (Spain et al, 2020). Items included a mix of Likert-type items where higher scores represented greater HUD effectiveness, utility, or usability, and free response items that asked participants specific questions about their experiences with the HUD.…”

“…Technology development and testing for the first responder community requires significant time and resources (Morrison et al, 2021;Rao et al, 2014). Advances in virtual environment (VE) technologies such as desktop-based VEs, virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR) enable new opportunities to support user experience research for public safety technologies (Grandi et al, 2019;Spain et al, 2020;Suhail et al, 2019). By creating highly immersive scenarios, researchers can use VEs as a testbed to systematically investigate human-computer interaction principles in a controlled and safe environment, allowing for engaging interactions with prototype interfaces that can be rapidly tested and refined (Rebelo et al, 2012).…”