Locomotion Techniques for Dynamic Environments: Effects on Spatial Knowledge and User Experiences.

Area of Science:

• Virtual Reality (VR)
• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
• Spatial Cognition

Background:

• Virtual environments (VE) utilize diverse locomotion techniques for navigation.
• Prior research on VE locomotion predominantly examined static environments.
• Dynamic VE with moving objects (e.g., other users) require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the impact of different locomotion techniques on spatial knowledge and user experience in both static and dynamic virtual environments.
• To analyze how environment dynamism affects the efficacy of various VR navigation methods.

Main Methods:

• Investigated three common VR locomotion techniques: joystick, teleportation, and redirected walking (RDW).
• Compared user spatial knowledge and experience in virtual environments with and without moving objects.
• Evaluated collision rates and task completion times for each locomotion technique.

Main Results:

• The effectiveness of locomotion techniques in virtual reality (VR) is influenced by whether the environment is static or dynamic.
• Differences in spatial knowledge and user experience varied significantly between static and dynamic virtual environments.
• Specific locomotion techniques were found to reduce collisions and task completion times in dynamic virtual environments.

Conclusions:

• Locomotion technique selection in VR should consider the degree of environment dynamism and task type.
• Optimizing VR locomotion interfaces can enhance user spatial knowledge and experience by tailoring techniques to specific application needs.
• This research provides insights for designing more effective and immersive virtual reality navigation systems.