Presence for design: conveying atmosphere through video collages

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Design Studies
• Virtual Reality Applications

Background:

• Product designers require inspiration and environmental atmosphere for effective creative processes.
• Current virtual reality (VR) tools for design are often technologically complex and expensive.
• Existing methods for capturing environmental context can be limited in conveying atmosphere.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a technically lightweight and expressive approach for product designers using VR.
• To leverage video collages for creating immersive and atmospheric design environments.
• To support designers in re-experiencing user environments and communicating design concepts.

Main Methods:

• Development of a VR-based system utilizing video collages.
• Employing principles from theater and cinema to evoke atmosphere, rather than hyperrealism.
• Creating sketchy, atmospheric environments for design inspiration and communication.

Main Results:

• The proposed video collage method offers a low-overhead VR solution for design practice.
• Designers can effectively use these collages to revisit and share environmental observations.
• The approach facilitates communication of product atmosphere to stakeholders and clients.

Conclusions:

• Video collages provide an accessible VR tool for enhancing designer creativity and presence.
• This method supports user-centered design by providing rich environmental context for concept testing.
• The technique offers a practical alternative to high-fidelity VR for capturing design atmosphere.