Comparing Interface Affordances for Controlling a Push Broom in VR

• Published in: 2018 IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces (VR) pp. 635 - 636
• Main Authors: Miller, Noah, Willemsen, Pete, Feyen, Robert
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.03.2018
• Subjects: Aerospace electronics; Electronic mail; Human computer interaction; Human-centered computing [Human computer interaction (HCI)]: Interaction devices Human-centered computing [Human computer interaction (HCI)]: Empirical studies in HCI; Task analysis; Training; Virtual reality; Visualization
• DOI: 10.1109/VR.2018.8446510

This study explores how VR controller interfaces affect how participants hold a virtual push broom in VR. We aim to understand how the affordances available with current VR controllers and a custom broom VR controller impact user hand placement in a visual VR broom task. We compare hand placement in two VR conditions against hand placement holding a real push broom. Our goal is to understand the roles that controllers have on recreating physically accurate actions in VR training scenarios. The results from this initial pilot show an effect of the broom controller condition but also that the order in which some of the conditions were presented to subjects affected the way subjects held the VR and real push brooms in subsequent actions. Future work will continue to explore how controller affordance may impact the role of training in VR.