Extending Augmented Sandboxes with Virtual Reality Interaction

Augmented sandboxes are often used as educative tools to create, explore and understand complex models. For the use case of a water cycle simulation, we extend the interaction space of augmented sandboxes into virtual reality to overcome limitations of current systems that include non-interactive 2D projections and shadow problems. We present our ongoing research and the prototypical setup of our VR sandbox consisting of a triple Kinect setup, depth sensing, VR, and hand tracking using Leap Motion. The setup shall help us to explore the space of haptic redirection. Further, we discuss our water cycle simulation use case and interaction scenarios that facilitate VR interaction and visualization

Rules Of Engagement: Levelling Up To Combat Unethical CUI Design

While a central goal of HCI has always been to create and develop interfaces that are easy to use, a deeper focus has been set more recently on designing interfaces more ethically. However, the exact meaning and measurement of ethical design has yet to be established both within the CUI community and among HCI researchers more broadly. In this provocation paper we propose a simplified methodology to assess interfaces based on five dimensions taken from prior research on so-called dark patterns. As a result, our approach offers a numeric score to its users representing the manipulative nature of evaluated interfaces. It is hoped that the approach - which draws a distinction between persuasion and manipulative design, and focuses on how the latter functions rather than how it manifests - will provide a viable way for quantifying instances of unethical interface design that will prove useful to researchers, regulators and potentially even users

Challenges of controlling the rotation of virtual objects with variable grip using force-feedback gloves

Some virtual reality (VR) applications require true-to-life object manipulation, such as for training or teleoperation. We investigate an interaction technique that replicates the variable grip strength applied to a held object when using force-feedback gloves in VR. We map the exerted finger pressure to the rotational freedom of the virtual object. With a firm grip, the object’s orientation is fixed to the hand. With a loose grip, the user can allow the object to rotate freely within the hand. A user study (N = 21) showed how challenging it was for participants to control the object’s rotation with our prototype employing the SenseGlove DK1. Despite high action fidelity, the grip variability led to poorer performance and increased task load compared to the default fixed rotation. We suspect low haptic fidelity as an explanation as only kinesthetic forces but no cutaneous cues are rendered. We discuss the system design limitations and how to overcome them in future haptic interfaces for physics-based multi-finger object manipulation

How to present game difficulty choices? Exploring the impact on player experience

Matching game difficulty to player ability is a crucial step toward a rewarding player experience, yet making difficulty adjustments that are effective yet unobtrusive can be challenging. This paper examines the impact of automatic and player-initiated difficulty adjustment on player experience through two studies. In the first study, 40 participants played the casual game THYFTHYF either in motion-based or sedentary mode, using menu-based, embedded, or automatic difficulty adjustment. In the second study, we created an adapted version of the commercially available game fl0w to allow us to carry out a more focused study of sedentary casual play. Results from both studies demonstrate that the type of difficulty adjustment has an impact on perceived autonomy, but other player experience measures were not affected as expected. Our findings suggest that most players express a preference for manual difficulty choices, but that overall game experience was not notably impacted by automated difficulty adjustments

“Funny How?” A Serious Look at Humor in Conversational Agents

Conversational agents are rapidly advancing in terms of their capabilities and human likeness - both of which are intended to enhance the user experience and engagement. One human quality that can potentially increase trust and likeability is humor. However, what is considered humorous and what is not depends on many contextual and personal factors that are not only difficult for machines to detect, but even humans are still struggling to understand them. This makes training AI to be humorous highly challenging. But is this due only to the technical limitations? In this provocation paper, we discuss the hindrances to utilizing humor in commercial conversational agents and propose addressing this topic from a social and political perspective

Spatial behavior and linguistic representation: Collaborative interdisciplinary specialized workshop

The Collaborative Interdisciplinary Specialized Workshop on Spatial Behavior and Linguistic Representation took place on April 23–24, 2010, at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg, Institute for Advanced Study (HWK), in Delmenhorst, Germany. We report the scientific motivation for this workshop and report its outcomes together with the impact of a gathering of this kind for the scientific community

"Seeing the Faces Is So Important" -- Experiences From Online Team Meetings on Commercial Virtual Reality Platforms

During the Covid-19 pandemic, online meetings became common for daily teamwork in the home office. To understand the opportunities and challenges of meeting in virtual reality (VR) compared to video conferences, we conducted the weekly team meetings of our human-computer interaction research lab on five off-the-shelf online meeting platforms over four months. After each of the 12 meetings, we asked the participants (N = 32) to share their experiences, resulting in 200 completed online questionnaires. We evaluated the ratings of the overall meeting experience and conducted an exploratory factor analysis of the quantitative data to compare VR meetings and video calls in terms of meeting involvement and co-presence. In addition, a thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed genuine insights covering five themes: spatial aspects, meeting atmosphere, expression of emotions, meeting productivity, and user needs. We reflect on our findings gained under authentic working conditions, derive lessons learned for running successful team meetings in VR supporting different kinds of meeting formats, and discuss the team's long-term platform choice.Comment: This article has been published at Frontiers in Virtual Reality, Research Topic "Everyday Virtual and Augmented Reality: Methods and Applications, Volume II": https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2022.94579

Let’s Talk Games:An Expert Exploration of Speech Interaction with NPCs

Recent years have witnessed significant advances in speech recognition and language processing technologies, enabling natural language conversations with computers. Concurrently, the gaming industry seeks to heighten immersion as one of the leading mediums for entertainment. This work investigates the potential and challenges of using speech interaction in single-player video games, particularly for interactions with NPCs. We conducted an online survey with video game experts ((Formula presented.)) alongside in-depth interviews with researchers specializing in conversational user interfaces and game user research ((Formula presented.)). Our findings emphasize experts’ recognition of the considerable potential of speech interaction in games, fostering increased immersion, engagement, and entertainment. Additionally, experts address pertinent concerns like privacy issues and play environment limitations. Drawing from our findings, we provide practical recommendations for integrating speech interaction in single-player games. These encompass potential benefits, challenges, accessibility, and social implications. We further address potential regulatory requirements and offer implementation tips to enhance player experience.</p