Title
Designing and Evaluating a VR Lobby for a Socially Enriching Remote Opera Watching Experience
Author
Lee, Sueyoon (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI))
Viola, Irene (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI))
Rossi, Silvia (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI))
Guo, Zhirui (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI))
Reimat, Ignacio (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI))
Lawicka, Kinga (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI))
Striner, Alina (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI))
Cesar, Pablo (TU Delft Multimedia Computing; Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI)) 
Date
2024
Abstract
The latest social VR technologies have enabled users to attend traditional media and arts performances together while being geographically removed, making such experiences accessible despite budget, distance, and other restrictions. In this work, we aim at improving the way remote performances are shared by designing and evaluating a VR theatre lobby which serves as a space for users to gather, interact, and relive the common experience of watching a virtual opera. We conducted an initial test with experts ($\mathrm{N}=10$, i.e., designers and opera enthusiasts) in pairs using our VR lobby prototype, developed based on the theoretical lobby design concept. A unique aspect of our experience is its highly realistic representation of users in the virtual space. The test results guided refinements to the VR lobby structure and implementation, aiming to improve the user experience and align it more closely with the social VR lobby's intended purpose. With the enhanced prototype, we ran a between-subject controlled study ($\mathrm{N}=40$) to compare the user experience in the social VR lobby between individuals and paired participants. To do so, we designed and validated a questionnaire to measure the user experience in the VR lobby. Results of our mixed-methods analysis, including interviews, questionnaire results, and user behavior, reveal the strength of our social VR lobby in connecting with other users, consuming the opera in a deeper manner, and exploring new possibilities beyond what is common in real life. All supplemental materials are available at https://github.com/cwi-dis/IEEEVR2024-VRLobby.
Subject
Collaborative interaction
Empirical studies in HCI
Perfoming arts
User studies
Virtual reality
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ed8cd0de-5f72-4f68-8cd9-93068d509fb1
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/TVCG.2024.3372081
Embargo date
2024-10-15
ISSN
1077-2626
Source
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 30 (5), 2055-2065
Bibliographical note
Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.
Part of collection
Institutional Repository
Document type
journal article
Rights
© 2024 Sueyoon Lee, Irene Viola, Silvia Rossi, Zhirui Guo, Ignacio Reimat, Kinga Lawicka, Alina Striner, Pablo Cesar