Presence and cybersickness in immersive content: Effects of content type, exposure time and gender

• Published in: Computers & graphics 2018-04, Vol.71, p.159-165
• Main Authors: Melo, Miguel, Vasconcelos-Raposo, José, Bessa, Maximino
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 360 video; Cybersickness; Effects; Exposure; Exposure time; Gender; Helmet mounted displays; Independent variables; Nausea; Presence; Statistical significance; Synthesis; User experience; Virtual environments; Virtual reality
• ISSN: 0097-8493; 1873-7684
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cag.2017.11.007

•Content type has impact on the sense of Presence.•Exposure time (1 to 7 min.) will not affect a VR experience.•No cybersickness was found across scenarios. [Display omitted] As the usage of head-mounted displays (HMD) increases, it is important to establish best usage practices to ensure the appropriate use of Virtual Reality (VR) equipment. Among the factors that can contribute to a better user experience are exposure time, the content type and the gender of the user. This study evaluates the impact of these variables on users’ Sense of Presence and Cybersickness when visualising 360° content using HMDs. Two types of 360° content (captured video vs. virtual environment) were evaluated across four different exposure times (1, 3, 5 and 7 min). Regarding Sense of Presence, the results revealed a statistically significant difference for Content Type, Gender, and Content Type  ×  Gender. Regarding Cybersickness, no statistically significant results were found for any of the independent variables. Overall, the results encourage the use of synthesized environments for a female audience; for non-interactive environments, captured environments are more effective than synthesized environments; and exposure time is not a concern for experiences lasting between 1 and 7 min.