The prediction of preference for unfamiliar urban places

Preferences for unfamiliar urban environments were studied as a function of urban categories, viewing time, and four predictor variables: complexity, coherence, identifiability, and mystery. A nonmetric factor analysis of the preference ratings for the longest viewing-time condition yielded five dimensions: Contemporary Life, Alley/Factory, Urban Nature, Unusual Architecture, and Older Buildings. The five categories differed significantly in preference, with Urban Nature by far the most preferred and Alley/Factory distinctly disliked. The combination of low coherence and high complexity characterizes the least liked Alley/Factory category, while the role of mystery in the urban setting is highlighted by the most preferred Urban Nature category. The results point to various ways in which the urban environment could be more responsive to people's preferences.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43513/1/11111_2005_Article_BF01359051.pd

The experience of spatial interaction: Conceptualizing the user experience of virtual environments

This paper examines the issue of User Experience (UX) as applied to immersive Virtual Reality from the standpoint of environmental psychology and related fields as a complement to principles from the fields of product design, psychology of emotion, formal aesthetics etc. Partly on account of its generality, multidisciplinary nature, and broad applicability, UX continues to defy a single commonly accepted definition, a fact which necessitates a holistic treatment of the subject of spatial interaction design. Various approaches and models of environmental psychology, as well as approaches to usability and UX are outlined in light of the need to highlight the influence and effects of particular spatial designs to particular dimensions of UX. Additionally, the concept and constituent dimensions of environmental appraisal are similarly defined and analysed, and indicative experimental designs currently under development are briefly described