Towards a Theoretical Framework of Acceptance of Virtual Reality Technology: Evidence from 360-Video Concert

We examine the use of 360-degree video technology in a live music event with the aim to explore the factors leading to acceptance of the VR use case and technology, to reduce the knowledge gap about this topic. We collected self-reported, quantitative data from 23 participants and investigated the user experience during the VR mediated 360-video concert and the acceptance of the 360-video for concert participation and VR technology use. We found that acceptance of the novel VR-based communication approach was correlated mainly with perceived usefulness. Furthermore, the perceived usefulness was only correlated with fun, but not flow and immersion. We outline the results in a new theoretical framework for studying and predicting the relationships between individual characteristics, user experience, VR evaluation, content and device, and the acceptance of 360-video mediated musical events and VR technology. Implications for VR acceptance theory and design practice are discussed

Usability Evaluation for 360 Video Using Head Mounted VR Display and A Mobile Phone VR Holder

This paper evaluated the usability of two VR displays (head mounted display and a mobile phone VR holder) by using six metrics: ease of use, engagement, emotion, comprehension, enjoyment, and comfortableness. The paper also evaluated different focusing techniques for 360 videos and provided a recommendation for future work. A total of 20 participants (10 participants for each subject) participated in this study, and all of the participants were recruited from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The quantitative result was evaluated by the six metrics and the qualitative data from the interview responses were used to help interpret the results. The results showed there was no significant difference between two devices when it comes to watching 360 videos in general. However, there was significance in individual measurements like comprehension and enjoyment level, which were affected by tasks and devices.Master of Science in Information Scienc

User experience study of 360° music videos on computer monitor and virtual reality goggles

In the past few years, user experience has become a trend in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). The ultimate success of a product or service depends on delivering user experience as the user prefers. 360° video is an immersive technology that offers a new era of visual experience. People are using 360° videos in several sectors of their everyday lives, including media consumption such as music videos. Nowadays, Virtual Reality (VR) and 360° camera hardware are becoming more usable, and 360° videos are also being produced to deliver realistic experience through both VR goggles and traditional displays. While producing 360° videos, the need of measuring user experiences also arises. This study explores the user experience of 360° music videos along with how the users perceive multicamera 360° music videos through the computer monitor and the VR goggles. This empirical research was conducted in the form of a laboratory experiment with 20 test participants. During the within-subject study, participants watched four 360° music videos produced with four different cutting rates and shots and then evaluated them. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through user evaluations and interviews. The data were also analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The results indicated that a music video which was produced through integrating eight shots (average length of 26 s per shot) captured by four 360° cameras, delivered the highest quality user experiences on both computer monitor and VR goggles. The video which had the highest cutting rate (average length of 11 s per shot) delivered lowest-quality user experiences. Results also demonstrated that 360° music video which was produced by using a single camera delivered some boredom among the users because of its static view. The thesis is concluded by illustrating the findings of 360° music video user experiences based on user evaluation and interview data

Estudo da utilização de vídeos 360º na experiência turística

O turismo tem-se vindo a alterar consideravelmente em paralelo com a evolução das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC). Estas alterações verificam-se fundamentais quer para a forma como é disponibilizada e acedida a informação, como para o modo como se passou a poder adquirir e usufruir de produtos/serviços turísticos. A introdução de novas ferramentas tecnológicas para a promoção turística, das quais se destacam o vídeo a 360º e a Realidade Virtual (RV), são uma realidade cada vez mais atual. A sua aliança permite ao utilizador centrar-se na ação, visualizando todo o cenário de uma forma mais imersiva, através do uso de equipamento de RV. Esta investigação foca-se na sua combinação. Neste sentido, são revistas três situações: a visualização de dois vídeos a 360º sobre dois locais turísticos distintos, sendo um deles apresentado com equipamento de RV e outro sem; e posteriormente, uma visita física a esses mesmos locais. Através da comparação destas 3 situações, pretendeu-se: determinar o impacto da "faixa etária" e do "nível de escolaridade" (variáveis independentes) para a Sensação de Presença (SP) dos participantes nas Experiências Virtuais (EV's); por outro lado, procurou-se descobrir se estas variáveis interferem na perceção dos participantes acerca do Ambiente Virtual (AV), no que diz respeito às noções de "expectativa/realidade" e de "semelhança" entre o AV mais imersivo e a realidade do local. Desta forma, pretendeu-se concluir se a visualização de vídeo a 360º aliado à RV pode constituir uma mais valia para a promoção de destinos turísticos em Portugal.Esta investigação levou a cabo uma análise qualitativa, com recolha de dados por questionário. Concluiu-se que, para o AV menos imersivo, no qual não foi usado equipamento de RV, a idade não surtiu um impacto significativo para a SP dos participantes, ao contrário do nível de escolaridade, que, quanto maior, maior a SP relatada pelos participantes. No caso do AV mais imersivo, em que houve recurso a equipamento de RV, ambas as variáveis demonstraram influenciar significativamente a SP dos utilizadores. Constatou-se também que tanto a "idade" como o "nível de escolaridade" tiveram influência nas noções de "expectativa/realidade" e de "semelhança", aquando da comparação entre o AV e o primeiro local. Contudo, ao contrário do expectável, para a comparação entre o AV e o segundo local, não se verificou interferência de nenhuma das variáveis. Por último, foi ainda possível apurar a preferência dos utilizadores, independentemente da faixa etária e do nível de escolaridade, para o uso de equipamento de RV na visualização de vídeo a 360º.Tourism has been considerably changing in parallel with the Information and Communication Technologies (TIC) evolution. These changes are fundamental for the way information is available and accessed, as well for the way touristic products/services can be purchased and experienced. The introduction of new technological tools in tourism promotion, highlighting 360º video and Virtual Reality (VR), are an increasingly current reality. Its alliance allows the user to be in the center of the action, visualizing the whole scenario in a more immersive way, through VR equipment. This investigation focus on their combination. In this regard, three situations are reviewed: two 360º video visualization about two different touristic places, one with VR equipment and the another without it; and then, a physical visit to those places. By comparing these three situations, it was intended to: determine the impact of "age" and "education level" (independent variables) for participants' sense of presence (SP) on Virtual Experiences (VE); on the other hand, it was sought to find out if these variables affect the users' perception of the virtual environment, concerning to "expectancy/reality" and "similarity" between more immersive virtual environment and the actual place. Thereby, it was intended to conclude if 360º video combined to VR can be an advantage for the promotion of touristic destinations in Portugal.This research undertook a qualitative analysis, with data collection by questionnaire. It was concluded that, for the less immersive virtual environment, in which VR equipment was not used, "age" did not have a significant impact for participants' SP, contrary to "education level", that the higher is, the greater is the participants' SP. For the more immersive virtual environment, in which VR equipment was used, both variables proved to have significant influence on participants' SP. It was also found that both "age" and "education level" had influence on "similarity" and "expectancy/reality" concepts, concerning the comparison between VE and participants' visit to the first place. However, contrary to what was expected, for the comparison between VE and participants' visit to the second place, there was no interference of any of the variables. Finally, it was also possible to determine users' preference, regardless age and education level, for the use of VR equipment for 360º video visualization

Políticas de Copyright de Publicações Científicas em Repositórios Institucionais: O Caso do INESC TEC

A progressiva transformação das práticas científicas, impulsionada pelo desenvolvimento das novas Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC), têm possibilitado aumentar o acesso à informação, caminhando gradualmente para uma abertura do ciclo de pesquisa. Isto permitirá resolver a longo prazo uma adversidade que se tem colocado aos investigadores, que passa pela existência de barreiras que limitam as condições de acesso, sejam estas geográficas ou financeiras. Apesar da produção científica ser dominada, maioritariamente, por grandes editoras comerciais, estando sujeita às regras por estas impostas, o Movimento do Acesso Aberto cuja primeira declaração pública, a Declaração de Budapeste (BOAI), é de 2002, vem propor alterações significativas que beneficiam os autores e os leitores. Este Movimento vem a ganhar importância em Portugal desde 2003, com a constituição do primeiro repositório institucional a nível nacional. Os repositórios institucionais surgiram como uma ferramenta de divulgação da produção científica de uma instituição, com o intuito de permitir abrir aos resultados da investigação, quer antes da publicação e do próprio processo de arbitragem (preprint), quer depois (postprint), e, consequentemente, aumentar a visibilidade do trabalho desenvolvido por um investigador e a respetiva instituição. O estudo apresentado, que passou por uma análise das políticas de copyright das publicações científicas mais relevantes do INESC TEC, permitiu não só perceber que as editoras adotam cada vez mais políticas que possibilitam o auto-arquivo das publicações em repositórios institucionais, como também que existe todo um trabalho de sensibilização a percorrer, não só para os investigadores, como para a instituição e toda a sociedade. A produção de um conjunto de recomendações, que passam pela implementação de uma política institucional que incentive o auto-arquivo das publicações desenvolvidas no âmbito institucional no repositório, serve como mote para uma maior valorização da produção científica do INESC TEC.The progressive transformation of scientific practices, driven by the development of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which made it possible to increase access to information, gradually moving towards an opening of the research cycle. This opening makes it possible to resolve, in the long term, the adversity that has been placed on researchers, which involves the existence of barriers that limit access conditions, whether geographical or financial. Although large commercial publishers predominantly dominate scientific production and subject it to the rules imposed by them, the Open Access movement whose first public declaration, the Budapest Declaration (BOAI), was in 2002, proposes significant changes that benefit the authors and the readers. This Movement has gained importance in Portugal since 2003, with the constitution of the first institutional repository at the national level. Institutional repositories have emerged as a tool for disseminating the scientific production of an institution to open the results of the research, both before publication and the preprint process and postprint, increase the visibility of work done by an investigator and his or her institution. The present study, which underwent an analysis of the copyright policies of INESC TEC most relevant scientific publications, allowed not only to realize that publishers are increasingly adopting policies that make it possible to self-archive publications in institutional repositories, all the work of raising awareness, not only for researchers but also for the institution and the whole society. The production of a set of recommendations, which go through the implementation of an institutional policy that encourages the self-archiving of the publications developed in the institutional scope in the repository, serves as a motto for a greater appreciation of the scientific production of INESC TEC