The Influence of Hand Tracking and Haptic Feedback for Virtual Prototype Evaluation in the Product Design Process

Abstract

Product evaluation throughout the design process is crucial for product success, which also helps to reduce design related costs. Physical prototyping is a common method to assess design alternatives, but often requires significant amounts of time and money. Extended Reality (XR) technologies are changing how products are presented to the user, making virtual prototyping an effective tool for product evaluation. However, it is generally assumed that our perceptual and emotional responses to a product viewed in an XR modality are comparable to those elicited by the physical product. This paper reports the results of a study where a group of participants evaluated three designs of a product (i.e. umbrella stands) when viewed in a real setting, Virtual Reality (VR), and VR with passive haptics (VRPH). Our goal was to observe the influence of visual media in product perception, and how the use of a complementary item (i.e. an umbrella) for interaction as well as user design expertise influence product assessment. Results show that Jordan's psycho-pleasure category of assessment was the most affected by the presentation medium, whereas the ideo-pleasure category was the only category not influenced by the medium. We also highlight that VRPH is an effective tool for product evaluation. Our study also shows that the user's background does not influence the confidence in their responses, but it can influence the assessment of certain product features. Finally, the use of a complementary item for interaction may have a significant effect on product perception.

How Innovation Affects Users’ Emotional Responses: Implications for Product Success and Business Sustainability

“…The relationship between sensory stimuli, memory, and the symbolic communication of a product has been explored since the 1980s by Krippendorff in product semantics [39][40][41] and later research further linked it to emotions [43]. This research demonstrated the connection between each user's past experiences, the meaning they associate with each product, and how this relationship triggers an emotional response to the product.…”

“…Due to the need to observe the user interacting with the product, most studies recommend employing physical prototypes to assess the emotional response of users at this level [39,40]. However, other studies use more economical visual methods, such as the FULE method [23], which employs pictures and sketches to analyze user perception through the visual characterization of medical devices, or Palacios et al, which employs virtual reality to analyze some usability-user perception parameters [41].…”

An Examination of the Relationship Between Visualization Media and Consumer Product Evaluation

“…Product features in Jordan's physical pleasure category are the most difficult to evaluate with virtual prototypes. In these cases, physical prototypes can help minimize these differences [73] [46].…”

Perceiving Design Features in New Interaction Environments: Comparing Rendered Images, 360° Rotation, AR, Immersive and Non-Immersive VR, and Real Product Interaction

“…For example, the product (a chair) was perceived through direct interaction as being significantly lighter than through VR with haptics, larger than through immersive (headset) and non-immersive VR (screen), and nicer than through non-immersive VR (screen). Some of the existing studies that compare various product display technologies are especially focused on their application as a support tool in early design phases by reviewing different categories of VR applications in design [28], combining and comparing virtual and physical prototypes [30], or evaluating the reliability of product display technologies (such as renderings, AR, and VR) as a tool for product assessment in the early stages of the product-development process to make the design process faster and more profitable [31]. This last study concludes that certain product features can be emphasized in more immersive media (such as AR or VR), which is useful for both product development and point-of-sale presentation.…”