Evaluation of virtual reality products and applications from individual, organizational and societal perspectives—The “VIEW” case study

Virtual reality (VR) has evolved in technology and applications within the last decade. Technical advances have led to the development of novel interaction devices, interaction concepts, more reliable and robust VR set-ups, advanced visualization and modeling software. However, decisions regarding which VR set-ups and devices are suitable for particular applications are becoming more difficult due to the rapid stream of technical development. In the “VIEW of the Future” project (IST-2000-26089), the development process was coupled with an extensive and multivariable evaluation procedure. The latter has taken advantage of direct neurophysiological and psychophysiological measurements and a variety of self-report tools administered in a set of different but closely linked experiments. Furthermore, the implementation of VR solutions in different applications was examined with a socio-economic perspective, by applying a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) using an analytical hierarchical model. The data collected during the experimental trials enabled us to reach general conclusions regarding the systems used, and to derive applicability guidelines to facilitate the implementation of VR products. This paper presents all aspects of the evaluation methodology: Usability Test Battery for neuro- and psycho-physiological measurements, VIEW-IT heuristic assessment tool, questionnaires, MCA methodology). A summary of the results includes usability and ergonomic findings for different VR set-ups, and the impact of VR implementation on a variety of applications.