Authenticity and presence: defining perceived quality in VR experiences.

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Virtual Reality Studies
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) quality assessment historically prioritized presence and immersion.
• Current research highlights plausibility and believability for credible VR experiences.
• Plausibility and believability are often conflated, causing assessment ambiguity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate and structure concepts of authenticity, plausibility, and believability in VR.
• To propose coherence and congruence as complementary quality functions.
• To provide a theoretical framework for holistic VR quality assessment.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis and theoretical model development.
• Delineation of hierarchical relationships between quality concepts.
• Integration of perceptual, cognitive, and emotional factors.

Main Results:

• Authenticity is proposed as an overarching concept encompassing plausibility and believability.
• A structured hierarchy clarifies the distinctions and connections between these quality features.
• Coherence and congruence are identified as key integrative functions.

Conclusions:

• Accurate VR quality assessment necessitates distinguishing precise authenticity features.
• A holistic approach considering multiple factors is crucial for evaluating VR.
• The proposed model offers theoretical grounding for enhanced VR experience quality evaluation.