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Understanding Pitfalls and Opportunities of Applying Heuristic Evaluation Methods to VR Training Systems: An
Xiaolei Guo1, Kushal Kumar Nerella1, Jiahui Dong1
1Department of Computer Graphics Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA.
International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction
|June 12, 2024
Summary
Evaluating virtual reality (VR) training applications is hard early on. This study identifies five key challenges in using Heuristics Evaluation (HE) for VR usability, suggesting improvements for better tool development.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
- Virtual Reality (VR) Usability
- Software Development Lifecycle
Background:
- Usability is critical for virtual reality (VR) training applications.
- Early-stage usability evaluation of VR applications presents significant challenges.
- Heuristics Evaluation (HE) is a widely adopted usability inspection method in HCI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the challenges of applying standard Heuristics Evaluation (HE) methods in the context of VR training applications.
- To identify specific usability inspection challenges encountered by evaluators in VR environments.
- To provide recommendations for adapting HE methods and developing supportive tools for VR usability.
Main Methods:
- Conducted a user study involving 14 evaluators.
- Evaluators performed two Heuristics Evaluation (HE) sessions on a VR training application.
- Employed observational techniques and post-session interviews to gather data on evaluator experiences.
Main Results:
- Identified five critical challenges faced by evaluators during the HE process in VR.
- Highlighted the need for context-specific adaptations of HE methods for VR.
- Revealed opportunities for creating tools to better support HE in VR.
Conclusions:
- Standard HE methods require adaptation to effectively address VR-specific challenges.
- Facilitating HE procedures and developing specialized tools are crucial for improving VR usability evaluation.
- Future work should focus on creating user-friendly heuristic sets and integrated HE-supporting tools for VR development.
