Using Interaction Geography to Explore Building Occupant Behaviors in Virtual Reality: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The sole focus of current occupant behavior research on environmental and contextual factors (i.e., physical attributes) in buildings is a missed opportunity. Psychological, physiological, social, time, and random factors also influence building occupants. In this pilot study (𝑛 = 10), the authors used Interaction Geography to capture human movements across space and time in a Virtual Reality (VR) museum to dissect building occupant behavior. Results indicated that study majors (i.e., psychological) and personal connections (i.e., social) with the space affected how participants explored and spent time in the VR museum.