Transcript Human Factors Issues in Virtual Environments: A Review of the

Human Factors Issues in Virtual
Environments: A Review of the
Literature
Stanney, Mourant, Kennedy
Summarized by Geb Thomas
Shneiderman
• Analyses of VR user-interface issues may
be too sober a process for those who are
enjoying their silicon trips, but it may aid in
choosing the appropriate applications and
refining the technologies
Human Performance Efficiency
in Virtual Worlds
• Build VE that minimize the learning
required to operate within them, but
maximize the information yield
• Trial and error because of non-systemspecific guidelines (models would be even
better)
• If it doesn’t work, the the pursuit of the
technology may be fruitless
Performance Criteria
• Navigational Complexity
– Possibly the most important issues
• Degree of Presence
• Benchmark tests
Fields Related to VE Navigation
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Mental maps
Wayfinding
Dead reckoning
Spatial Orientation
Time to Collision
Geographical orientation
Vestibular functions
Presence
• Generally thought that better presence will
lead to better performance.
• Evaluated with questionnaires
Benchmark Tasks
• Ability to Move
• Ability to Manipulate and track virtual
objects
• Locate virtual sounds
• Respond to kinesthetic force feedback
• Judge virtual distance
• Search for, recognize and estimate the size
of virtual environments
Task Characteristics
• Some are naturally suited to VE
– Data and Feature Analysis
– Data visualization
• Stereo helps some tasks
– Pick and place (but the jury is still out)
• Transfer of training for navigation
• Little direct evidence for interactivity and
task performance
• Little direct evidence for immersion
User Characteristics
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Input (interpupillary distance)
Throughput (cognitive style)
Output (human performance)
Differences in sense of presence and
cybersickness
Level of experience
Technical aptitude
Personality traits are not significant
Age is significant (perceptual deficits?)
Constraints due to Visual
Perception Limitations
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Anomolies in optical flow patterns
Sensitivity to interpupilary distance
Limited FOV
FOV Overlap for stereo
Binocular rivalry
Diplopia
Multimodal Interaction
• Sensorial redundancy, such as visual
auditory and tactical feedback can enhance
performance
• Redundant inputs are common in
communication
• Sensorial transposition is sometimes
feasible
The problem of Metaphor
• Affordances -- goals naturally furnished by
the environment
• Oren -- Every new technology goes through
an initial incunabular stage where old forms
continue to exist that may not be uniquely
suited to the new medium.
• VR slider, map cubes, tow planes -- the new
metaphors?
Health and Safety
• The Eyes:
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emf
cataracts if the CRT produces x-rays
eyestrain from flicker, poor adjustment, glare
Visual aftereffect may endanger a viewer
• Macroscopic Effect
• Cybersickness