Leaving Traces in VR

Our real, physical environment shows traces everywhere of how we use it. Those traces can serve as memory cues and indicate prior interaction or user behaviors. Hence, they are signs of prior experiences. VR environments or objects currently do not include such traces of use and it is unclear how to represent traces of use in a virtual environment. This disconnects the virtual space from the experiences that we make in it. In this thesis, we want to explore ways to integrate traces of a user experience in VR and the effect thereof.

Tasks:

• Identify prototypes/scenarios/environments from prior work where traces of use would make a difference in the interaction.
• Adapt these prototypes and develop a dynamic and aging VR environment that represents the user experiences and interactions.
• Conduct a user study on this prototype to evaluate its success based on pre-defined measures.

Requirements:

• Experience in either VR programming, C# or 3D modeling.
• Basic knowledge of user research.

Suggested Reading:

• Anotnella Carassa, Francesca Morganti and Maurizio Tirassa. "A situated cognition perspective on presence." 2005.
• Holly Robbins, Elisa Giaccardi and Elvin Karana. "Traces as an Approach to Design for Focal Things and Practices." 2016.
• Tom Fisher. "What we touch, touches us: materials, affects and affordances."2004.