A Postphenomenological Framework for Studying User Experience of Immersive Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) is a remarkably flexible technology for interventions as it allows the construction of virtual worlds with ontologies radically different from the real world. By embodying users in avatars situated in these virtual environments, researchers can effectively intervene and instill positive change in the form of therapy or education, as well as affect a variety of cognitive changes. Due to the capabilities of VR to mediate both the environments in which we are immersed, as well as our embodied, situated relation toward those environments, VR has become a powerful technology for “changing the self.” As the virtually mediated experience is what renders these interventions effective, frameworks are needed for describing and analyzing the mediations brought by various virtual world designs. As a step toward a broader understanding of how VR mediates experience, we propose a post-phenomenological framework for describing VR mediation. Postphenomenology is a philosophy of technology concerned with empirical data that understand technologies as mediators of human-world relationships. By addressing how mediations occur within VR as a user-environment relation and outside VR as a human-world relation, the framework addresses the various constituents of the virtually mediated experience. We demonstrate the framework's capability for describing VR mediations by presenting the results of an analysis of a selected variety of studies that use various user-environment relations to mediate various human-world relations.publishedVersio

MRnews: Design Explorations into Accessibility and News

Creating accessible technology and content is generally seen as beneficial for all users. This is particularly important when the content has a significant societal impact, such as news stories. To find new and innovative ways to engage users, digital news outlets are faced with challenges related to accessibility. In the case of Mixed Reality (MR) technology, the increasing interest emphasizes the need for the technology to be inclusive and accessible. The embodied nature and affordances of MR technology enable users to manipulate virtual objects using real-world knowledge and in real-time and enable them to utilize a wide range of skills when interacting with such systems. In turn, leveraging these affordances can enhance the accessibility of the task at hand. Contributions to developing accessibility guidelines have been made, and the use of MR applications to enhance accessibility is on the rise. However, these contributions are most prominent in education and not for leisurely use. This research project investigates the affordances of MR and of the Augmented Reality (AR) Head Mounted Display (HMD), HoloLens 2 (HL2) in particular, and how these can be leveraged to enhance accessibility when reading digital news. This is a Research through Design (RtD) project carried out in participation with users by conducting design activities and user evaluations. The RtD-process is supported by prototypes developed through an iterative process. MRnews is an application built for Microsoft’s AR HMD, the HL2. The implemented design showcases how news content creators and developers can leverage the affordances of MR technology to achieve accessibility in news stories. The results point toward direct manipulation of virtual content utilizing the spatial nature of MR technology and the use of sensory cues to keep the user oriented and focused impact accessibility.Masteroppgave i medie- og interaksjonsdesignMIX350MASV-MI

User-Environment Relations : A Postphenomenology of Virtual Reality

Innen HCI blir interaksjon tradisjonelt forstått som noe som skjer mellom de forhåndsantatte enhetene «menneskelig bruker» og «teknologisk objekt». Særlig tvinger omsluttende VR-teknologi oss til å revurdere disse antagelsene, ettersom den menneskelige brukeren og det virtuelle miljøet former hverandre gjensidig i relasjonene som konstitueres mellom dem. Postfenomenologien ser ut til å være en lovende kandidat for det å redegjøre for kompleksiteten til VR-mediering ettersom den tilbyr et mer helhetlig syn, og tar hensyn til hvordan teknologier tar del i konstitueringen av menneskers livsverdener. Ettersom virtuelle miljøer ikke bare er verktøy vi samhandler med eller bruker, men miljøer hvor vi eksisterer og som vi blir formet gjennom, ser postfenomenologien ut til å tilby et lovende perspektiv for å fremme vår forståelse av hvordan VR tar del i å endre vår opplevelse av hvem vi er i forhold til våre verdener. Denne doktorgradsavhandlingen undersøker hvordan postfenomenologi kan tas i bruk konstruktivt for å få en kvalitativ forståelse av brukeropplevelse i omsluttende VR-teknologi. Avhandlingen presenterer teoretiske, metodiske og empiriske bidrag. Teoretisk sett introduseres menneske-teknologi-relasjonen som VR utgjør som bruker-miljø-relasjoner. Gjennom en analyse av menneske-teknologi-relasjonen som VR utgjør, demonstreres det hvordan forskere kan dra nytte av en postfenomenologisk forståelse av VR, samt hvordan VR-mediet selv krever en revurdering av tradisjonelle postfenomenologiske kategorier av menneske-teknologi-relasjoner. Metodisk sett, foreslås «VR Go-along»-metoden som en passende tilnærming for å gi kvalitative vurderinger av brukeropplevelsen som mediert i de konstituerte bruker-miljø-relasjonene. Empirisk sett, presenterer avhandlingen en kvalitativ og utforskende «in-the-wild»-studie av omsluttende VR-bruk over to måneder, hvor «VR Go-along»-metoden brukes til å undersøke deltakernes brukeropplevelse slik de er mediert i de konstituerte bruker-miljø-relasjonene. Denne avhandlingen fungerer som en refleksiv redegjørelse av forfatterens undersøkelse om bruken av postfenomenologi for å gi en forståelse av mediering i omsluttende VR-teknologi. Den demonstrerer det gjensidig fordelaktige forholdet mellom postfenomenologi og omsluttende VR og illustrerer hvordan postfenomenologiske undersøkelser av omsluttende VR-mediering kan gjennomføres. Gjennom avhandlingen argumenteres det for at forskere kan få en mer helhetlig forståelse av hvordan VR medierer brukeropplevelse ved å se på hvordan brukeropplevelsen i omsluttende VR medieres i de konstituerte bruker-miljø-relasjonene. Bidraget til denne avhandlingen fungerer som en foreløpig undersøkelse av hvordan postfenomenologi kan brukes fruktbart innen HCI for å forstå og spørre om brukeropplevelsen i omsluttende VR og relasjonene som omsluttende VR gir opphav til.In HCI, interaction is traditionally understood as something that occurs between the pre-given entities of a human user and a technological object. The technology of Immersive Virtual Reality (VR), in particular, forces us to reconsider these presuppositions, as the human user and the virtual environment mutually shape each other in the relations constituted between them. Postphenomenology seems to be a promising candidate to account for the complexities of VR mediation as it takes a more holistic view, attending to how technologies mediate human beings' lifeworlds. As virtual environments are not just tools we interact with or use, but environments in which we exist and through which we are shaped, postphenomenology seems to offer a promising perspective for furthering our understanding of how VR takes part in altering our experience of who we are in relation to our worlds. This doctoral dissertation presents an inquiry into how postphenomenology can be constructively used to gain a qualitative understanding of user experience in Immersive VR. The dissertation presents theoretical, methodical and empirical contributions. Theoretically, the human-technology relation that VR constitute is introduced as user-environment relations. Through an analysis of the human-technology relation that VR constitutes, it is demonstrated how researchers can benefit from a postphenomenological understanding of VR as well as how VR prompts a reconsideration of traditional postphenomenological categories of human-technology relations. Methodically, it proposes the VR Go-along method as an approach to qualitatively assessing the user experience as mediated in the constituted user-environment relations. Empirically, this dissertation presents a qualitative and explorative in-the-wild study of Immersive VR use over two months, where the VR Go-along is utilised to inquire into the participants' user experience as mediated in the constituted user-environment relations. This dissertation serves as a reflexive account of the author's inquiry into the use of postphenomenology to provide an understanding of Immersive VR mediation. It demonstrates the mutually beneficial relationship between postphenomenology and Immersive VR and illustrates how postphenomenological inquiries into Immersive VR mediation can be conducted. Throughout the dissertation, it is argued that researchers can gain a more holistic understanding of how VR mediates user experience by attending to how the user experience in Immersive VR is mediated in the constituted user-environment relations. The contribution of this dissertation serves as a preliminary inquiry into how postphenomenology can be fruitfully employed in HCI to understand and inquire into the user experience in Immersive VR and the relations to which it gives rise.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Adolescents with Public Speaking Anxiety

Bakgrunn: Presentasjonsangst er en av de vanligste fryktene blant ungdom. Angsten innebærer en redsel for å bli negativt evaluert, etterfulgt av en følelse av å bli flau eller ydmyket når man snakker foran andre. Eksponeringsterapi for presentasjonsangst er utfordrende å gjennomføre, da en trenger et reelt publikum som kan fungere som det fryktede stimuli. Virtual Reality (VR) kan være løsningen, da teknologien er i stand til å skape et virtuelt publikum, som kan oppleves som ekte. For voksne med presentasjonsangt finnes det flere randomiserte kontrollerte VR-studier som viser gode kliniske effekter, men en vet lite om effekten relatert til ungdom. Ingen studier har tidligere evaluert effekten av selvveiledet, automatiserte og spillbaserte VR-intervensjoner for ungdom med presentasjonsangst. Mål: Denne oppgaven adresserte aktuelle kunnskapshull ved å kartlegge den kliniske effekten og gjennomførbarheten av to VR-intervensjoner for ungdom med presentasjonsangst: en terapeutveiledet og en selvveiledet, automatisert og spillbasert intervensjon. Målet med Artikkel I var å undersøke gjennomførbarheten og den kliniske effekten av en terapeutveiledet, enkelt-sesjons VR-intervensjon for ungdom med presentasjonsangst. Hovedmålet med Artikkel II var å undersøke den kliniske effekten av en selvveiledet, automatisert og spillbasert VR-intervensjon sammenlignet med venteliste og en selvveiledet nettbasert intervensjon. Et sekundært mål var å undersøke om VR-intervensjonen førte til en økning i påfølgende eksponeringsøvelser under det nettbaserte eksponeringsprogrammet, sammenlignet med de som mottok nettbasert psykoedukasjons- og eksponeringsprogram. Målet med Artikkel III var å undersøke om intervensjonene rettet mot presentasjonsangst også førte til en reduksjon i symptomer på perfeksjonisme og om symptomer på perfeksjonisme modererte den kliniske effekten av intervensjonene for presentasjonsangst. Metode: To kliniske studier ga data for tre studier: en ikke-randomisert gjennomførbarhet- og pilotstudie (papir I) og en to-faset, firearmet randomisert kontrollert studie (papir II og III). Begge studiene undersøkte effekter og moderatorer av behandling: symptomer på generalisert sosial angst ved baseline og tilstedeværelse i det virtuelle miljøet (artikkel I) og om perfeksjonisme modererte behandlingsresultatet (artikkel III). Selvrapporterte symptomer på presentasjonsangst ble innhentet under intervensjons- og oppfølgingsperioden i begge studiene, i tillegg til hjertefrekvensmålinger under VR-eksponeringen i Artikkel I, selvrapporterte symptomer på generalisert sosial angst i Artikkel II og III, og perfeksjonisme i Artikkel III. Gjennomførbarhets- og pilotstudien i Artikkel I inkluderte N=27 ungdommer som deltok i en terapeutveiledet, 90-minutters VR-intervensjon på én sesjon ved klinikken. To-faset, firearmede randomiserte kontrollerte studien i Artikkel II og III inkluderte N=100 ungdommer som deltok i et seks ukers digitalt selvveiledet intervensjonsprogram. Ungdommene ble randomisert i fire grupper, med følgende fase én + fase to intervensjon; 1) Kun VR, 2) VR + nettbasert eksponeringsprogram, 3) Nettbasert psykoedukasjon + eksponeringsprogram, 4) Venteliste + nettbasert psykoedukasjonsprogram. Resultater: Resultater fra Artikkel I viste en signifikant reduksjon i presentasjonsangstsymptomer fra pre til post, og symptomene holdt seg stabile ved en og tre måneders oppfølging. Basert på tilbakemeldinger fra ungdommene, ble gjennomførbarheten av intervensjonen økt i løpet av studien, noe som resulterte i ingen manglende besvarelser ved oppfølging. Symptomer på generalisert sosial angst ved baseline og tilstedeværelse modererte ikke de kliniske effektene. Det var en liten økning i hjertefrekvensen under VR-eksponeringsoppgavene. Resultater fra Artikkel II viste en signifikant større reduksjon i presentasjonsangstsymptomer blant ungdommene som mottok VR-intervensjonen sammenlignet med ventelistegruppen. Resultatene viste også at VR + nettbasert eksponeringsprogram var like effektivt sammenlignet med kun VR og nettbasert psykoedukasjon + eksponeringsprogram. I tillegg hadde alle fire grupper en signifikant reduksjon i presentasjonsangstsymptomer. I motsetning til hypotesen fullførte ikke ungdommer som mottok VR-intervensjon et høyere antall in-vivo-eksponeringsoppgaver i løpet av nettbasert eksponeringsprogram sammenlignet med de som mottok nettbasert psykoedukasjon og eksponeringsprogram. De kliniske effektene holdt seg stabile ved tre måneders oppfølging. Resultater fra Artikkel III viste at intervensjonene ikke reduserte perfeksjonisme på gruppenivå, men det var signifikante individuelle forskjeller i endringer over tid. En nedgang i perfeksjonisme var assosiert med en større reduksjon på alle utfallsmål fra post til oppfølging. Det var ingen signifikante interaksjonseffekter mellom presentasjonsangstsymptomer og nivået av perfeksjonisme før behandling. Høye nivåer av perfeksjonisme før behandling var assosiert med dårligere langsiktige resultater for begge gruppene som mottok det nettbaserte eksponeringsprogrammet. Konklusjon: Denne oppgaven bidrar til det voksende evidensgrunnlaget for VR-eksponeringsterapi, og den første som demonstrerer potensialet til både terapeutveiledet og selvveiledet VR-behandling for ungdom generelt, og spesielt for de med presentasjonsangst. Resultatene indikerer at VR-behandling kan fungere som et indisert forebyggingsprogram for ungdom med PSA. Studiene som inngår i oppgaven er gjennomført ved hjelp av et solid design. Gjennomførbarhet og pilotering var første trinn, før man for første gang med denne målgruppen evaluerte de kliniske effektene i en randomisert kontrollert studie. I tillegg har oppgaven undersøkt relevante moderatorer av behandlinger; rollen til perfeksjonisme og hvordan den kan hindre bedring. Disse resultatene kan være veiledende for hvordan optimalisere fremtidige intervensjoner for ungdom med presentasjonsangst. Fremtidige studier bør undersøke om VR-terapi har en langsiktig forebyggende effekt på utvikling av generalisert sosial angst da dette fortsatt er uklart for denne aldersgruppen.Background: Public Speaking Anxiety (PSA) is one of the most common fears reported by adolescents. PSA involves the fear of being negatively evaluated, followed by a feeling of being embarrassed or humiliated when speaking in front of others. Providing state-of-the-art in-vivo exposure therapy for PSA is difficult due to the logistics of recruiting an actual audience trained to act as the feared stimuli. An attractive way of resolving this obstacle is through Virtual Reality (VR) technology, which is capable of creating an immersive experience of being in front of a virtual audience, as if it was real. Although there are several randomized controlled trials demonstrating the clinical efficacy of VR exposure therapy for adults with PSA, little is known about its clinical effects on adolescents. Moreover, no past study has evaluated self-guided and automated VR interventions for adolescents with PSA. Aims: This thesis addressed these key knowledge gaps by exploring the clinical effects and feasibility of both therapist-guided and self-guided, and automated VR interventions for adolescents with PSA. The aim of Paper I was to investigate the feasibility and the clinical effects of a therapist-guided, single-session VR-intervention for adolescents with PSA, using low-cost consumer VR hardware. The primary aim of Paper II was to investigate the clinical efficacy of a self-guided, automated, and gamified VR intervention compared with waitlist and self-guided online programs. A secondary aim was to explore whether the VR intervention led to an increase in subsequent exposure tasks during the online exposure program compared to those receiving the online psychoeducation and exposure program. The aim of Paper III was to investigate whether interventions targeting PSA also led to a reduction in symptoms of perfectionism and whether symptoms of perfectionism moderated the clinical efficacy of self-guided interventions for PSA. Methods: Two clinical trials provided data for three studies: one non-randomized feasibility and pilot study (Paper I) and a two-phased, four-armed randomized controlled study (Paper II and III). Both trials investigated effects and moderators of treatment: baseline generalized social anxiety symptoms and presence in the virtual environment (Paper I) and whether perfectionism moderated treatment outcome (Paper III). Self-reported PSA were assessed during the intervention and follow-up period in both studies, in addition to heart rate measurements during the VR exposure in Paper I, self-reported symptoms of generalized SAD in Paper II and III, and perfectionism in Paper III. The non-randomized feasibility and pilot study in Paper I included N=27 adolescents who participated in a therapist-guided, 90-minutes single-session VR intervention at the clinic. The two-phased, four-armed randomized controlled study in Paper II and III included N=100 adolescents who participated in a six weeks digital self-guided interventions program. The adolescents were randomized into four groups, with the following phase one + phase two intervention; 1) VR only, 2) VR + online exposure program, 3) Online psychoeducation + exposure program, 4) Waitlist + online psychoeducation program. Results: Results from Paper I revealed a significant decrease in PSA symptoms from pre to post, and symptoms remained stable at one- and three-month follow-up. Based on feedback from the adolescents, the feasibility of the intervention was increased during the trial, resulting in no missing data. Baseline generalized social anxiety symptoms and presence did not moderate the clinical effects. There was a small increase in heart rate during the VR exposure tasks. Results from Paper II revealed a significantly greater reduction in PSA symptoms among the adolescents who received the VR intervention compared to the the waitlist group. The results also demonstrated that VR + online exposure program was as equally effective as compared to VR only and online psychoeducation + exposure program. Moreover, all groups had a significant reduction in PSA symptoms. Contrary to the hypothesis, adolescents who received VR training did not complete a higher number of in-vivo-exposure tasks during the online exposure program compared to those receiving online psychoeducation and exposure program. The clinical effects remained stable at three-month follow-up. Results from Paper III revealed that the interventions did not reduce perfectionism at a group level, however, there were significant individual differences in changes over time. A decrease in perfectionism was associated with a larger reduction on all outcome measures from post to follow-up. There were no significant interaction effects between PSA symptoms and the pre-treatment level of perfectionism. High pre-treatment levels of perfectionism was associated with poorer long-term outcomes for both groups receiving the online exposure program. Conclusions: In sum, this thesis contributes to the growing evidence base for VR exposure therapy, and is among the first to demonstrate the potential of both therapist-guided and self-guided, VR interventions for adolescents in general and with PSA in particular. The results indicate that VR may serve as an indicated prevention program for adolescents with PSA. The studies included in the thesis is conducted through a strong design with feasibility and piloting as a first step before evaluating, for the first time with this target group, the clinical effects in a randomized controlled trial. Moreover, the thesis has investigated relevant moderators of treatments, specifically the role of perfectionism and how it may hinder treatment improvement. These results can provide guidance on how to optimize future interventions for the large group of adolescents with PSA. Future studies should investigate whether VR interventions have a long-term preventive effect on the development of generalized social anxiety as this remains unclear for this age group.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Coping with the inheritance of COVID-19: the role of new interactive technologies to enhance user experience in different contexts of use

The COVID-19 pandemic has upset the habits of people and various sectors of society, including training, entertainment, and retail. These sectors have been forced to adapt to abnormal situations such as social distancing, remote work, and online entertainment. The pandemic has significantly transformed the training field, leading to the closure of many in-person instruction centers and a shift toward online education courses, which can be less effective. In addition, the entertainment industry has been heavily transformed by social distancing, resulting in the cancellation of many live events and the closure of several cinemas. This has increased demand for online entertainment options, such as streaming services and virtual events. Finally, the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic substantially impacted physical stores and fairs, suspending exhibitions for more than two years. This has further driven consumers to rely on e-commerce to fulfill their purchasing and companies to increasingly take advantage of new technologies such as augmented reality. In this suddenly disrupted scenario, new technologies have the potential to fill the gap generated by the pandemic, functioning as an interactive bridge to connect people. This Ph.D. thesis explored the potential of interactive technologies in mitigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in various contexts of use in the above-mentioned areas. Specifically, three lines of research were investigated by conducting different studies using a mixed approach in the Human-Computer Interaction field. The first research line focused on the study of immersive virtual reality training, with a particular interest in flood emergencies, a growing phenomenon. The goal was to implement engaging and efficient training for citizens that live near rivers through a human-centric design approach. The second line of research explored innovative ways to improve social interaction and collaboration in the entertainment sector, highlighting guidelines for the design of shared streaming experiences. In particular, three different communication modalities were studied during group viewing of an interactive film on a streaming platform. Finally, the third research line focused on the retail sector. On the one hand, the focus consisted of understanding which aspects of the 3D web and AR technology are helpful for supporting small businesses and trade fairs. On the other hand, the focus was to investigate how to support consumers during an AR shopping experience when interacting with 3D virtual products of different sizes. Overall, this project provides suggestions and guidelines for designing systems that can both increasingly connect people at a distance and offer new hybrid worlds. In addition, this project expands state-of-the-art related to interactive technologies and offers generalizable results outside the crisis created by COVID-19. These technologies, now increasingly integrated into everyday life, can be a tool for empowerment and resilience, improving people's lives.The COVID-19 pandemic has upset the habits of people and various sectors of society, including training, entertainment, and retail. These sectors have been forced to adapt to abnormal situations such as social distancing, remote work, and online entertainment. The pandemic has significantly transformed the training field, leading to the closure of many in-person instruction centers and a shift toward online education courses, which can be less effective. In addition, the entertainment industry has been heavily transformed by social distancing, resulting in the cancellation of many live events and the closure of several cinemas. This has increased demand for online entertainment options, such as streaming services and virtual events. Finally, the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic substantially impacted physical stores and fairs, suspending exhibitions for more than two years. This has further driven consumers to rely on e-commerce to fulfill their purchasing and companies to increasingly take advantage of new technologies such as augmented reality. In this suddenly disrupted scenario, new technologies have the potential to fill the gap generated by the pandemic, functioning as an interactive bridge to connect people. This Ph.D. thesis explored the potential of interactive technologies in mitigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in various contexts of use in the above-mentioned areas. Specifically, three lines of research were investigated by conducting different studies using a mixed approach in the Human-Computer Interaction field. The first research line focused on the study of immersive virtual reality training, with a particular interest in flood emergencies, a growing phenomenon. The goal was to implement engaging and efficient training for citizens that live near rivers through a human-centric design approach. The second line of research explored innovative ways to improve social interaction and collaboration in the entertainment sector, highlighting guidelines for the design of shared streaming experiences. In particular, three different communication modalities were studied during group viewing of an interactive film on a streaming platform. Finally, the third research line focused on the retail sector. On the one hand, the focus consisted of understanding which aspects of the 3D web and AR technology are helpful for supporting small businesses and trade fairs. On the other hand, the focus was to investigate how to support consumers during an AR shopping experience when interacting with 3D virtual products of different sizes. Overall, this project provides suggestions and guidelines for designing systems that can both increasingly connect people at a distance and offer new hybrid worlds. In addition, this project expands state-of-the-art related to interactive technologies and offers generalizable results outside the crisis created by COVID-19. These technologies, now increasingly integrated into everyday life, can be a tool for empowerment and resilience, improving people's lives

Beyond Just Money Transactions: Redesigning Digital Peer-to-Peer Payments for Social Connections

Financial activities, such as the exchange of money between individuals, have long been considered a crucial aspect of how people build and maintain their interpersonal relationships (i.e., a strong, deep, or close association/acquaintance between two or more people) with individuals they know because money is a sensitive social construct. In particular, over the past decade, how to conduct, manage, and experience money exchanges and processes between individuals has been dramatically transformed due to the increasing popularity of digital peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services (i.e., performing one to one online money transactions via a digital device). In this sense, digital P2P payments have shown the potential to affect how people pay and interact with each other regarding money, an important impact factor on various forms of interpersonal relationships, by facilitating direct money transactions between individuals through computer-mediated channels. Therefore, this dissertation research is motivated to leverage a sociotechnical approach to conduct an in-depth investigation of the nuanced human experiences of personal money exchanges mediated by digital P2P payments between people who know each other and the unique role of digital P2P payments in shaping these individuals\u27 social connections with each other online and offline. In doing so, this dissertation research aims to (i) reveal and elaborate the multidimensional influences of digital P2P payments on interpersonal relationships between people who already know each other in terms of both experiences of money exchanges and everyday social interactions; ii) advance our knowledge and understanding of how digital P2P payments systems can be redesigned to better support people\u27s social connections with individuals they know; and iii) envision the future landscape of digital P2P payments in our increasingly networked digital society. This dissertation research involves four studies. Grounded in 158 social media posts and 8 interviews, Study 1 explores how people perceive the increasing trend of integrating digital P2P payments with social media services (e.g., Facebook Messenger payment) and why they decide not to use this service in their daily lives. Study 2 reports findings of a qualitative study of 31 in-depth semi-structured interviews to investigate the influences of using digital P2P payments on people\u27s offline interpersonal relationships. Study 3 reports results of a large-scale anonymous online survey with 218 valid responses to measure the specific immediate social consequences and lasting impacts of using digital P2P payments on people\u27s interpersonal relationships. Study 4 adopts the research through design (RtD) approach with a specific emphasis on participatory design activities to both elicit and qualitatively investigate user needs and user-generated design solutions for digital P2P payment services that can better support people\u27s social connections. This dissertation research thus contributes to innovating financial technologies in the perspective of Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Centered Computing by better understanding new and more complicated social phenomena and dynamics emerging in today\u27s digital economy. First, this dissertation research offers one of the first empirical evidence to unpack and explicate the multidimensional influences of digital P2P payments on both financial experiences/processes and everyday social connections between known contacts, which is understudied in prior scholarship. In doing so, we provide new perspectives on today\u27s technology-mediated financial life and shed light on the intertwining financial and social relationships through technology. These insights also help re-conceptualize computer-mediated interpersonal relationships in today\u27s networked society. Second, we identify and further reflect on user-generated design recommendations and develop prototypes that highlight the importance of taking the interplay of financial and social engagement, in addition to security and privacy, into consideration when redesigning digital P2P payments platforms. Through this RtD approach, we thus rethink and envision the future landscape of digital P2P payments where such technologies can be designed, developed, and used in a more comfortable, innovative, and emotionally satisfactory way. As we are entering a post COVID-19 pandemic age, there is an increasing interest to make digital financial technologies not only secure but also more human-centered, interaction-centric, and culturally sensitive, which can be used to better support and maintain human connections through daily financial activities with or without face-to-face interaction. Therefore, in a broader sense, this dissertation research on the social values of digital P2P payments also contributes to building a more robust and inclusive digital economy in today\u27s changing society

Leveraging eXtented Reality & Human-Computer Interaction for User Experi- ence in 360◦ Video

EXtended Reality systems have resurged as a medium for work and entertainment. While 360o video has been characterized as less immersive than computer-generated VR, its realism, ease of use and affordability mean it is in widespread commercial use. Based on the prevalence and potential of the 360o video format, this research is focused on improving and augmenting the user experience of watching 360o video. By leveraging knowledge from Extented Reality (XR) systems and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), this research addresses two issues affecting user experience in 360o video: Attention Guidance and Visually Induced Motion Sickness (VIMS). This research work relies on the construction of multiple artifacts to answer the de- fined research questions: (1) IVRUX, a tool for analysis of immersive VR narrative expe- riences; (2) Cue Control, a tool for creation of spatial audio soundtracks for 360o video, as well as enabling the collection and analysis of captured metrics emerging from the user experience; and (3) VIMS mitigation pipeline, a linear sequence of modules (including optical flow and visual SLAM among others) that control parameters for visual modi- fications such as a restricted Field of View (FoV). These artifacts are accompanied by evaluation studies targeting the defined research questions. Through Cue Control, this research shows that non-diegetic music can be spatialized to act as orientation for users. A partial spatialization of music was deemed ineffective when used for orientation. Addi- tionally, our results also demonstrate that diegetic sounds are used for notification rather than orientation. Through VIMS mitigation pipeline, this research shows that dynamic restricted FoV is statistically significant in mitigating VIMS, while mantaining desired levels of Presence. Both Cue Control and the VIMS mitigation pipeline emerged from a Research through Design (RtD) approach, where the IVRUX artifact is the product of de- sign knowledge and gave direction to research. The research presented in this thesis is of interest to practitioners and researchers working on 360o video and helps delineate future directions in making 360o video a rich design space for interaction and narrative.Sistemas de Realidade EXtendida ressurgiram como um meio de comunicação para o tra- balho e entretenimento. Enquanto que o vídeo 360o tem sido caracterizado como sendo menos imersivo que a Realidade Virtual gerada por computador, o seu realismo, facili- dade de uso e acessibilidade significa que tem uso comercial generalizado. Baseado na prevalência e potencial do formato de vídeo 360o, esta pesquisa está focada em melhorar e aumentar a experiência de utilizador ao ver vídeos 360o. Impulsionado por conhecimento de sistemas de Realidade eXtendida (XR) e Interacção Humano-Computador (HCI), esta pesquisa aborda dois problemas que afetam a experiência de utilizador em vídeo 360o: Orientação de Atenção e Enjoo de Movimento Induzido Visualmente (VIMS). Este trabalho de pesquisa é apoiado na construção de múltiplos artefactos para res- ponder as perguntas de pesquisa definidas: (1) IVRUX, uma ferramenta para análise de experiências narrativas imersivas em VR; (2) Cue Control, uma ferramenta para a criação de bandas sonoras de áudio espacial, enquanto permite a recolha e análise de métricas capturadas emergentes da experiencia de utilizador; e (3) canal para a mitigação de VIMS, uma sequência linear de módulos (incluindo fluxo ótico e SLAM visual entre outros) que controla parâmetros para modificações visuais como o campo de visão restringido. Estes artefactos estão acompanhados por estudos de avaliação direcionados para às perguntas de pesquisa definidas. Através do Cue Control, esta pesquisa mostra que música não- diegética pode ser espacializada para servir como orientação para os utilizadores. Uma espacialização parcial da música foi considerada ineficaz quando usada para a orientação. Adicionalmente, os nossos resultados demonstram que sons diegéticos são usados para notificação em vez de orientação. Através do canal para a mitigação de VIMS, esta pesquisa mostra que o campo de visão restrito e dinâmico é estatisticamente significante ao mitigar VIMS, enquanto mantem níveis desejados de Presença. Ambos Cue Control e o canal para a mitigação de VIMS emergiram de uma abordagem de Pesquisa através do Design (RtD), onde o artefacto IVRUX é o produto de conhecimento de design e deu direcção à pesquisa. A pesquisa apresentada nesta tese é de interesse para profissionais e investigadores tra- balhando em vídeo 360o e ajuda a delinear futuras direções em tornar o vídeo 360o um espaço de design rico para a interação e narrativa

Participatory Design of VR Scenarios for Exposure Therapy

Virtual reality (VR) applications for exposure therapy predominantly use computer-generated imagery to create controlled environments in which users can be exposed to their fears. Creating 3D animations, however, is demanding and time-consuming. This paper presents a participatory approach for prototyping VR scenarios that are enabled by 360° video and grounded in lived experiences. We organized a participatory workshop with adolescents to prototype such scenarios, consisting of iterative phases of ideation, storyboarding, live-action plays recorded by a 360° camera, and group evaluation. Through an analysis of the participants’ interactions, we outline how they worked to design prototypes that depict situations relevant to those with a fear of public speaking. Our analysis also explores how participants used their experiences and reflections as resources for design. Six clinical psychologists evaluated the prototypes from the workshop and concluded they were viable therapeutic tools, emphasizing the immersive, realistic experience they presented. We argue that our approach makes the design of VR scenarios more accessible.Participatory Design of VR Scenarios for Exposure Therap