Semiotic Virtual Reality Framework Validation

This paper presents a user study designed for validating the Semiotic VR Framework, a tool that allows to identify the best-suited Virtual Reality (VR) applications to get a specified communication objective, by adopting the appropriate techniques to implement visualization, interaction and modelling of the VR application

Employing Mixed Reality Applications : Customer Experience Perspective

The study analyses twelve empirical cases employing different Mixed Reality (MR) applications: 1) 360-videos, 2) augmented reality (AR) mobile applications, 3) augmented virtuality (AV), and 4) AV+AR. The empirical data in all cases consist of observations of users’ and potential customers’ experiences with different MR applications followed by qualitative interviews. The study assesses how various MR applications can create experience-centric services. The research focus is in service and sensory design as well as in customer experience management. The study results suggest that MR can provide new opportunities for prolonged customer experiences in terms of new encounters and cues, different sensory effects and improved social interactions among business representatives and fellow customers. Furthermore, MR experiences can generate positive word-of-mouth especially in cases with dramatic structures. Finally, the results suggest that the customers' willingness-to-interact with service personnel increase after a MR experience.The study analyses twelve empirical cases employing different Mixed Reality (MR) applications: 1) 360-videos, 2) augmented reality (AR) mobile applications, 3) augmented virtuality (AV), and 4) AV+AR. The empirical data in all cases consist of observations of users’ and potential customers’ experiences with different MR applications followed by qualitative interviews. The study assesses how various MR applications can create experience-centric services. The research focus is in service and sensory design as well as in customer experience management. The study results suggest that MR can provide new opportunities for prolonged customer experiences in terms of new encounters and cues, different sensory effects and improved social interactions among business representatives and fellow customers. Furthermore, MR experiences can generate positive word-of-mouth especially in cases with dramatic structures. Finally, the results suggest that the customers' willingness-to-interact with service personnel increase after a MR experience.Peer reviewe

The subtle difference between knowledge and 3D knowledge

This article discusses the implications of attaching three-dimensional artefacts with different labels such as visualisation, model or ‘virtual form’. The research focus is on how this affects the artefact itself, how it is produced and received, and in the end, how the artefact engages in knowledge production, and what kind of knowledge comes out of the process. It is proposed that there is not only a difference between knowledge and ‘three-dimensional’ knowledge but also between knowledge derived from artefacts called by different names. The three-dimensional artefacts are intermediaries or boundary objects between the past and the present, and the makers and users of these objects. Taking the differences in names and how they are linked to epistemological differences seriously and making them visible is argued to be a key to a more reflexive and productive making and use of three-dimensional artefacts

Virtual world-supported contextualized multimodal EFL learning at a library

This study aims to investigate the influence of story creation on young EFL learners’ reading performance. Action research was adopted to examine the effects of two different story reading projects in a library setting in Taiwan. Each project comprised a group of 19 young EFL learner from Grades 4 to 6 (aged 10-12). The first group’s activities consisted of picture storybook reading and word games. The results obtained from the pre- and post-reading tests on the learners’ performance revealed an increase in their English reading scores. But the results of the learners’ motivation and anxiety questionnaire were unsatisfactory. To overcome this discrepancy, a 3D virtual construction task using Omni-immersion Vision, an online VR construction tool, was added to the reading activity. This let the students express their ideas through multimodal resources including text and images in their stories and their 3D virtual contexts. The results showed that the second group made improvements not only in their English language reading but also in their learning motivation, and they demonstrated lower levels of anxiety than the first group. It appears that a combination of multimodal stories and context construction in virtual worlds benefited EFL learners

Making sense of digitally remediated touch in virtual reality experiences

Touch, often called the ‘first sense’, is fundamental to how we experience and know ourselves, others and the world. Increasingly, touch is being brought into the digital landscape. This paper explores this shifting landscape to understand the ways in which touch is re-mediated in the context of virtual reality. With attention to the sensoriality and sociality of touch, it asks what ‘counts’ as touch in VR, how is touch experienced and how is it incorporated into meaning making. We present and discuss findings from a multimodal and multisensory study of 16 participants interacting in two VR experiences to describe: the participants’ material encounters with the virtual through a focus on touch practices, expectations and norms; the ways in which participants made meaning of (and with) virtual touch through their dynamic selection and orchestration of the range of semiotic and experiential resources available; and how these virtual touch experiences translated into discourses of touch in VR to emphasize continuities and change between the past, present and futures. The paper comments on the methodological challenges of researching touch in the emergent landscape of VR and asks how multimodality might engage newly with touch, perhaps the most under-rated and neglected of modes and senses, and its digital remediation

Does virtual reality lower construal levels?

Although virtual reality (VR) is currently one of the fastest growing technologies, little research has compared its effect on cognitive state relative to computers. We examined VR through the lens of construal level theory (CLT), which describes mental representations as being either abstract (high-level construal) or concrete (low-level construal). Drawing on CLT, visual perception and interactivity, we hypothesised that the immersiveness of VR would induce lower construal levels compared to computers. We conducted two laboratory experiments which revealed that VR surprisingly does not produce different mental states compared to computers. We explain the insights and limitations of our experiments and derive design recommendations for VR applications and future VR research

Metaverse in social life: An evaluation on metaverse news

Metaverse özellikle 2021 ve sonrasında hızla gelişen ve hem bireysel hem de toplumsal anlamda insanların yaşamını etkileyen temel yeni iletişim teknolojilerinden biri hâline gelmiştir. Etkinlik yönetimi, marka yönetimi süreçleri, Metaverse evreninde arazilerin satın alınması, Metaverse düğünleri, Metaverse alışveriş merkezi, Metaverse oyunları gibi birçok toplumsal yaşam alanında Metaverse uygulamalarının kullanıldığı görülmektedir. Bu araştırmanın amacı; Metaverse ve uygulamalarının toplumsal yaşamdaki kullanım şekillerini Metaversenin sosyal yaşam, ekonomi, teknoloji, iş hayatı gibi farklı alanlardaki kullanımı ile ilgili yapılan haberler üzerinden ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaç doğrultusunda; SimilarWeb araştırmasına göre; ilk üç sırada yer alan hurriyet.com.tr, milliyet.com.tr ve sozcu.com.tr haber siteleri Ocak 2022-Temmuz 2022 aralığında Metaverse haberleri özelinde içerik analizi yöntemiyle ve teknolojik determinizm kuramı bağlamında incelenerek sınırlandırılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda; Metaversenin en çok ekonomi, bilim-teknoloji ve gündem kategorilerindeki haberler içerisinde kullanıldığı görülmüştür. Haberlerde en sık tek görsel kullanıldığı, ara başlıkların uzun haberlerde tercih edildiği gözlemlenmiştir. Metaverse kavramının tanıtım, etkinlik, düğün, mağaza, sergi, AVM, dijital oyun, borsa, eğitimde yenilik, okuryazarlık gibi farklı yaşam alanlarında kullanıldığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.One of the fundamental new communication technologies, the Metaverse is progressing quickly,especially in the years 2021 and beyond, and has a significant impact on human life both individually and socially. It turns out that a variety of Metaverse applications have been utilized in social life, including those for managing events, building brands, buying Metaverse lands, planning Metaverse weddings, running Metaverse retail malls, and playing Metaverse games. The purpose of this study is to reveal the usage styles of Metaverse and its applications in social life via news related to the usage examples in different areas such as social life, education, economic, technology, business life. In accordance with this purpose, the study is limited to analyzing of Metaverse news in the context of technological determinism theory and content analysis method in hurriyet.com.tr, milliyet.com.tr and sozcu.com.tr web sites, ranked the top of three according to Similarweb research, between January 2022- July 2022. The study's findings indicate that the most popular news topics in the Metaverse are categorised as economic, science-technology, and agenda. It has been noted that when there are many pictures in a news story, sub-headings are preferable. It has been determined that the Metaverse notion is frequently used in a variety of living contexts, including marketing, events, weddings, shopping, digital games, literacy, educational innovation, exhibitions, and the stock market

Interaction in immersive virtual reality:breakdowns as trouble-sources in co-present VR interaction

Abstract. This thesis examines breakdowns as trouble-sources in co-present interactions within immersive virtual reality (VR). The data examined in this study consists of video recordings of users playing Rec Room, an online multiplayer game, with HTC Vive head-mounted displays (HMDs). The users participating in the recording sessions were predominantly non-native English speakers with no prior immersive VR experience. The participants played the game in six groups of two. The participants were given minimal guidance to facilitate naturally occurring interactions within the virtual environment. Sequences of interest identified in the recorded footage were transcribed for the purpose of analysis. Conversation analysis was applied as the research methodology, while drawing upon past studies regarding the phenomenon of breakdowns in human-computer interaction and repair in interaction. Breakdowns were categorized into game-related and device-related breakdowns during the analysis process. The examined game-related breakdowns were connected to unclear game mechanics and difficulties of avatar interactions, while the examined device-related breakdowns were connected to difficulties with the participants’ HMDs and controllers. Breakdowns related to the game were found to be mildly disruptive to an ongoing interaction, with the participants managing to overcome them either by themselves or with the help of other users within VR. Breakdowns related to the VR devices proved more difficult for the participants to resolve, often requiring assistance not from other VR users, but from the observers of the recording sessions. Device-related issues could also be far more disruptive for the participants, leading to removing a user from the game entirely or forcing a premature end to a recording session at their most severe. A lack of information available to the participants was a recurring factor across both game-related and device-related breakdowns. Possible solutions to providing users with more information regarding both game mechanics and the status of their HMD and controllers were discussed.Tiivistelmä. Tämä tutkimus tarkastelee käyttöhäiriöitä ongelmalähteinä yhteisläsnäolevissa vuorovaikutustilanteissa immersiivisessä virtuaalitodellisuudessa. Tutkimuksessa tarkasteltu aineisto koostuu videonauhoituksista käyttäjistä pelaamassa Rec Room -verkkomoninpeliä HTC Vive virtuaalitodellisuuslaseja käyttäen. Nauhoitussessioihin osallistuneet käyttäjät olivat pääsääntöisesti ei-natiiveja englannin puhujia ilman aiempaa kokemusta immersiivisestä virtuaalitodellisuudesta. Osallistujat pelasivat peliä kuudessa kahden hengen ryhmässä. Osallistujia ohjeistettiin mahdollisimman vähän luontaisten interaktioiden helpottamiseksi virtuaaliympäristössä. Aineistosta tunnistetut kiinnostavat sekvenssit litteroitiin analyysiä varten. Tutkimusmetodina sovellettiin konversaatioanalyysiä, hyödyntäen myös aiempia tutkimuksia liittyen käyttöhäiriöihin ihmisen ja tietokoneen vuorovaikutuksessa sekä korjausilmiöihin vuorovaikutuksessa. Käyttöhäiriöt luokiteltiin peliin liittyviin ja laitteisiin littyviin käyttöhäiriöihin analyysiprosessin aikana. Tarkastellut peliin liittyvät käyttähäiriöt liittyivät epäselviin pelimekaniikkoihin sekä hankaluuksiin roolihahmojen vuorovaikutuksessa, kun taas tarkastellut laitteisiin liittyvät käyttöhäiriöt liittyivät hankaluuksiin osallistujien virtuaalilasien ja peliohjaimien kanssa. Peliin liittyneet käyttöhäiriöt häiritsivät vuorovaikutustilanteita lievästi, ja osallistujat pystyivät selviytymään tilanteesta joko yksin tai muiden virtuaalitodellisuudessa olevien käyttäjien avulla. Käyttöhäiriöt jotka liittyivät virtuaalitodellisuuslaitteisiin osoittautuivat osallistujille haastavammiksi selvittää, ja he tarvitsivat usein apua nauhoitussessioiden tarkkailijoilta muiden virtuaalitodellisuudessa olevien käyttäjien sijaan. Laitteisiin liittyvät ongelmat osoittautuivat myös huomattavasti häiritsevämmiksi osallistujille, vakavimmissa tapauksissa johtaen käyttäjän poistumiseen pelistä kokonaan tai nauhoitussession ennenaikaiseen loppuun. Osallistujille tarjolla olleen tiedon puute oli toistuva tekijä sekä peliin että laitteisiin liittyvissä käyttöhäiriöissä. Mahdollisia ratkaisuja pelimekaniikkoihin ja käyttäjien virtuaalilasien sekä peliohjaimien tilaan liittyvän tiedon tarjoamiselle tarkasteltiin

Upplevelsen av Närvaro: En Studie om Dess Påverkan på Kommunikation i Digitala Möten

Syftet med denna studie är att utforska möjligheterna innanför digitala möter och utsikterna som nya mötesteknologier erbjuder. Digitala möten används för att reducera arbetsrelaterade resor. Genom att förstå användarens upplevelser av digitala möten kan vi få insikt i hur teknologins potential kan utnyttjas effektivare. Detta vill bli belyst genom forskningsfrågan: Hur upplevs närvaro i VR- och videokonferensmöten och hur inverkar närvaro på kommunikationen? Forskningen genomfördes med användning av VR- och videokonferensteknologi för att simulera 2 olika typer av digitala möter. Data samlades därefter in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, med ett diversifierat urval av 7 respondenter i åldern 30–60 år. Materialet analyserades genom en tematisk analys. Studien visar att upplevelsen av närvaro spelar en betydande roll i kommunikation genom att högre grad av upplevd närvaro möjliggör mer interaktion, medan lägre grad av upplevd närvaro kan bidra till en uppfattat ökad distans och därmed en minskning i interaktivitet. Informanterna upplevde skillnader mellan teknologierna på flera olika sätt. Videokonferensteknik har varit i bruk under en längre tid och har varit föremål för omfattande forskning. Det var emellertid först under pandemin som programvara för VR-möten började utvecklas. Denna forskning sätter ljuset på närvaro och kommunikation inom VR och videokonferensmöten, ett forskningsområde som i kombination hittills har fått begränsad uppmärksamhet.The purpose of this study is to explore the possibilities within digital meetings and the prospects that new meeting technologies offer. Digital meetings are used to reduce work-related travel. By understanding the user's experiences of digital meetings, we can gain insight into how the potential of technology can be utilized more effectively. This will be highlighted through the research question: How is presence experienced in VR and video conference meetings, and how does presence affect communication? The research was conducted using VR and video conference technology to simulate 2 different types of digital meetings. Data were then collected through semi-structured interviews, with a diversified selection of 7 respondents aged 30-60 years. The material was analyzed through a thematic analysis. The study shows that the experience of presence plays a significant role in communication by enabling more interaction with a higher degree of presence, while a lower degree of presence can contribute to an increased perceived distance and thus a decrease in interactivity. The informants experienced differences between the technologies in several different ways Video conferencing technology has been in use for a longer period of time and has been the subject of extensive research. However, it was only during the pandemic that software for VR meetings began to develop. This research shines a light on presence and communication within VR and video conference meetings, a research area that, in combination, has so far received limited attention