Toward More Intuitive VR Locomotion Techniques: How Locomotion Metaphors Shape Users' Mental Models

Interface metaphors are thought to enable an intuitive and effective interaction with a user interface by allowing users to draw on existing knowledge and reducing the need for instructions. This makes metaphors a promising candidate to drive the development of locomotion interfaces for virtual reality (VR). Since creating metaphoric interfaces can be difficult, it is important to analyze how typical locomotion metaphors can support an intuitive interaction. We performed a qualitative online study to observe the effect of typical metaphors (Walking, Steering, Flying, and Teleportation) and the influence of perceived affordances and user background. Our analysis shows that users adapt the interface expectations induced by metaphors to fit the perceived affordances instead of changing them. Several interests, the age, education, and gender influenced the expectations regarding the VR locomotion interface. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of users' mental models of VR locomotion metaphors, which seem necessary for designing more intuitive locomotion.