Course outline
Immersion and presence8.1
Cybersickness, comfort and evaluation8.3
Characterising immersion
Sensory extentWhich modalities are stimulated?
Sensory fidelityWhat information can each convey?
CoverageHow much physical input remains?
InteractivityHow stimulation responds to action
Place illusion and plausibility
Place illusionThe sense of being in the depicted place
PlausibilityThe sense that events are really occurring
System factors and presence
ControlAvailable and predictable action
Sensory informationUseful cues and their coherence
Viewing conditionsDisplay properties and calibration
Immersion and presence are distinct
System propertiesCan be specified and measured
Personal experienceVaries across users and sessions
RelationshipInfluenced by content, action and attention
Visible reactions, an experience to investigate
BehaviourStepping back, movement, hesitation
Reported experiencePresence, emotion, discomfort
MeasurementAsk and compare
Measuring presence
QuestionnairesIPQ, PQ and Slater–Usoh–Steed
BehaviourResponses and breaks in the experience
PhysiologyComplementary, non-specific observations
Perception of one’s body
External signalsSeeing and touching the body
Internal signalsInteroception and bodily state
Movement and postureProprioceptive and vestibular information
Body schema and body image
Body schemaRepresentations supporting action and posture
Body imagePerceptual, conceptual and affective representations
PlasticityRepresentations can adapt
Body ownership
Self-attributionThe body feels like mine
Sensory sourceEvents seem to happen to this body
ManipulationTiming, appearance and correspondence
Factors in embodiment
Body formStructure, morphology and self-recognition
ViewpointRelation between observer and body
Motion correspondenceSpatial and temporal alignment
Experiencing a child-sized body
ViewpointA body-relative perspective
CongruenceCorresponding sensory information
OutcomeBody-related perception and responses
Banakou, Groten and Slater: child-body experiment
Body-size distortion research
QuestionHow is bodily size estimated?
ManipulationA full-body illusion
MeasureEstimates before and after exposure
Evaluating embodiment
QuestionnairesSeparate ownership, location and agency
BehaviourA task-related response or estimate
Control conditionsTest the proposed source of the effect
Comfort as a design outcome
CybersicknessNausea, dizziness and disorientation
Visual comfortEye strain and viewing demands
Physical comfortFit, heat, posture and effort
Cognitive demandsAttention, complexity and control
Symptom dimensions
NauseaQueasiness and related bodily symptoms
Oculomotor symptomsEye strain, blurred vision or headache
DisorientationDizziness and disturbed spatial orientation
Complementary explanations
Postural instabilityDifficulty maintaining a stable bodily relation
Sensorimotor inconsistencyUnexpected action–perception relations
Device discomfortPressure, mass and heat
Spatial consistency
World scaleObjects and body share meaningful dimensions
Viewpoint heightFits the participant and task
HorizonRemains coherent with gravity
Head motionKeeps its expected effect on the view
Visual comfort and near work
Display alignmentFit and appropriate eye positioning
Depth demandsVergence and accommodation
LegibilityReadable content without sustained strain
Physical ergonomics
HeadsetMass, pressure and heat
PostureNeck angle and sustained position
ReachArm elevation, repetition and support
AccessSeated options and alternative controls
Measuring symptoms
Before exposureA baseline symptom state
During exposureBrief checks when appropriate
After exposureSymptoms, timing and recovery
Comfort choices and tradeoffs
Technical stabilityTrack and render consistently
User controlMake movement predictable and optional
Motion optionsOffer suitable locomotion and turning choices
Task ergonomicsReduce unnecessary sustained effort
Presence, embodiment and discomfort
Related experiencesThey can influence one another
Distinct measuresOne score does not represent all three
Design outcomeA useful task with acceptable demands
Integrated design assessment
Which activity is supported?
Which cues and mappings are essential?
What could disrupt presence or embodiment?
How will comfort and task success be assessed?
Sources and further reading
Teaching resourcesOriginal lectures and their figure credits
Research referencesStudy-specific citations in each slide’s notes
Source mapReferences retained at the point of use
Social presence
A sense of being together
Position, gaze, gesture and action
Coordination around common events