Abstract

This thesis builds upon the existing Hexen-Spiel scenario, a virtual fantasy scenario with a exploration search task at its core, by developing a thematic haptic prop to replace the standard controller, a guidance and instruction system in the form of thematic companion and an improved system for collecting and evaluating in-game and survey data. These features are added in order to explore the effect of haptic interactions and user guidance on the user’s perceived sense of presence as well as their interaction quality, haptic experience, perceived guidance quality and overall engagement. This is evaluated by performing 2 × 2 mixed factorial study in which participants perform a search task in the improved environment based on the type of controller and type of guidance they are assigned. The results of the study show that the thematic haptic prop improved multiple dimensions in regards to haptic experience and interaction quality. Presence ratings remained largely unchanged across all conditions and no significant effects of guidance were observed. An interaction effect discovered in regards to user’s engagement and sense of realism. These findings suggest that improving the physical interactions by using a haptic prop results in an improved quality of haptic interaction but does not necessarily indicate any change to the sense of presence.

Results/Implementation/Project Description

Conclusion

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