The development of virtual healing environment in VR platform.

Area of Science:

• Architecture
• Virtual Reality
• Psychology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to prolonged periods of staying at home, increasing stress levels.
• There is a need for accessible stress-reduction tools, particularly in virtual environments.
• Architectural design principles can inform the creation of therapeutic virtual spaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a virtual reality (VR) healing environment to mitigate user stress.
• To apply Healing Environments theories and architectural design principles in VR.
• To ensure the VR simulation is inclusive and accessible on low-end devices.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Extreme Programming (Agile methodology) combined with architectural design flow for software development.
• Designed the virtual healing environment based on established theories of Healing Environments.
• Evaluated the VR simulation through user acceptance testing, expert judgment, and surveys with 32 respondents.

Main Results:

• The VR healing environment was found to be enjoyable by users.
• Participants reported clear guidance within the simulation.
• The virtual environment's realistic appearance was preferred over cartoonish designs.

Conclusions:

• The developed VR healing environment effectively reduces stress.
• Accessible VR technology can be a viable tool for mental well-being.
• User acceptance is high for realistic and intuitively guided virtual healing spaces.