Reality anchors: investigating the use of reality cues for socially acceptable immersive technologies in transit

Abstract

Immersive technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) headsets, offer opportunities to transform time spent in transit by customising the user's reality with virtual content rendered anywhere around them. However, their widespread use remains limited due to the disconnect they create from the surrounding environment, reducing user’s awareness and ability to respond to social cues. To address this challenge, this thesis proposes the concept of Reality Anchors, which integrate cues from the real world into virtual environments to retain immersion and alleviate concerns about using immersive technology in transit. Through a series of studies, this research investigates how Reality Anchors can address awareness needs and support the adoption of immersive technologies in transit. Studies I and II identified barriers to adoption through surveys, confirming that immersive headset use in transit raises concerns about safety, awareness, and social acceptance. Rooted in users' lack of awareness of surroundings, other passengers, personal belongings, and journey progress, these concerns varied with journey length. Longer journeys, such as on flights, showed higher acceptance due to lower awareness needs and greater interest in entertainment, while shorter journeys, like those on buses, posed greater challenges requiring heightened awareness. These findings informed the design of initial Reality Anchors focused on addressing safety, awareness and social concerns. Building on this, Study III evaluated Reality Anchors using VR simulations of short transit journeys, identifying people and personal belongings as the most useful anchors. Study IV extended this exploration, investigating anchor usage in journey types categorised as self-managed and externally managed. Findings revealed that Reality Anchors must be flexible to accommodate changing user needs, with self-managed journeys requiring more anchor support. Finally, Studies V and VI bridge the gap between lab and real-world contexts. Study V explored asymmetric co-located passenger experiences, where passengers using different devices navigated real unexpected interactions. Study VI examined how passengers maintained awareness under changing real-world conditions. Together, these studies demonstrate the potential of Reality Anchors to reduce key safety, awareness, and social concerns. This thesis represents a first step toward enhancing immersive technology acceptance in transit environments and provides actionable recommendations for the future design of Reality Anchors