3D virtual world as an enabler for a hybrid virtual-physical situated civic engagement platform

Abstract. User participatory design concept in the domain of urban computing has been playing a significant role around the industry and research area since it first came out. Many researchers and organisations involved in this strive to reach out a larger diversity of people so they could build urban environment better supportive and salubrious towards the community members. In this regard, we created a common ground platform for sharing opinions of people within the society by delivering a free speech from the public place. The installation is evaluated in our study dedicated in the context of human psychological sensation systems in the virtual environment, tries to find the relation between the performance of the task (giving a speech) carried out in a virtual space and the user’s degree of presence and immersion. The results of our series of field experiments show that there is a positive association between the system user interface and the quality of work, though, we could not extend it to the statement which saying the superior performance is the direct result of high immersion and presence