John R. Wilson

Virtual Reality-Induced Symptoms and Effects (VRISE)

An experimental program of research was carried out to assess the potential health and safety effects of participating in virtual environments (VEs) via head-mounted displays (HMDs). This paper presents the results obtained from nine experiments examining the effects experienced during and after participation in a variety of VR systems, VE designs, and task requirements, for a total participant sample of 148 individuals. A combination of methods including self-report scales, performance measures, physiological indicators, observation, interview, and user attitude/opinion questionnaires were used to measure simulator (VE) sickness, postural instability, psychomotor control, perceptual judgment, concentration, stress, and ergonomics effects. Greatest effects across the different systems, VEs, and exposure times were found for sickness symptoms and physiological measures, with some concern over postural instability and physical ergonomics, also. Although many of the effects were relatively minor and short lived, they were serious for five percent of participants and irritating for a considerable percentage more. The aetiology of the effects is sufficiently different to that for simulators or transport systems to justify us using a new term, virtual reality-induced symptoms and effects (VRISE). Implications are drawn for VR system design, VE specification, and the ways in which industrial use of VR/VE should be planned and supported.

Classroom collaboration in the design of tangible interfaces for storytelling

We describe the design of tangible interfaces to the KidPad collaborative drawing tool. Our aims are to support the re-enactment of stories to audiences, and integration within real classroom environments. A six-month iterative design process, working with children and teachers in school, has produced the “magic carpet”, an interface that uses pressure mats and video-tracked and barcoded physical props to navigate a story in KidPad. Reflecting on this process, we propose four guidelines for the design of tangible interfaces for the classroom. (1) Use physical size and shysical props to encourage collaboration. (2) Be aware of how different interfaces emphasize different actions. (3) Be aware that superficial changes to the design can produce very different physical interactions. (4) Focus on open low-tech technologies rather than (over) polished products.

Systematic usability evaluation and design issues for collaborative virtual environments

This paper presents results of the longitudinal usability and network trials that took place throughout the COVEN (COllaborative Virtual ENvironments) Project. To address the lack of understanding about usability design and evaluation for collaborative virtual environments (CVEs), a deductive analysis was used to systematically identify areas of inquiry. We present a summary of the analysis and the resulting framework through which various complementary methods were utilized during our studies. The objective of these studies was to gain a better understanding about design, usability, and utility for CVEs in a multidisciplinary setting. During the studies, which span four years, we undertook longitudinal studies of user behavior and computational demands during network trials, usability inspections of each iteration of the project demonstrators, consumer evaluations to assess social acceptability and utility of our demonstrators, and continuous preparations of design guidelines for future developers of CVEs. In this paper, we discuss the need for such activities, give an overview of our development of methods and adaptation of existing methods, give a number of explanatory examples, and review the future requirements in this area.

Key lessons for the design and integration of virtual environments in secondary science

This paper discusses a 3 year research project in which a virtual enviroment (VE) to teach radioactivity was developed and tested in a number of schools. Many software packages currently developed for schools tend to be fairly generic, covering a topic quite broadly. There has been a lack of attention to teachers requirements and needs. This research emphasised the importance of involving teachers through the development process, from specification to evaluation. It also confirmed the importance of school-based evaluation studies in the development and evaluation of educational software. Through carrying out school-based evaluation studies a number of key considerations were identified. These contextual considerations covered three areas seen to be important in the design and development of an educational VE: facilities and equipment available, intended use in school and individual learner characteristics. Lessons learnt from this research may prove to be useful guidelines for future researchers. As such, a framework has been developed as a recommendation for a suitable method for the design, development and evaluation of virtual environments for education, and more generally other educational software applications.

A New Model of Scheduling in Manufacturing: Tasks, Roles, and Monitoring

For over 3 decades there was a belief that computer-based solutions would solve complex industrial scheduling problems, yet most manufacturing organizations still require human contributions for effective scheduling performance. We present a new model of scheduling for the development and implementation of effective scheduling systems within manufacturing companies. The model derives from investigating the work of 7 schedulers in 4 manufacturing environments using a qualitative field study approach, for which novel field-based data collection and analysis methods were developed. The results show that scheduling in practice comprises task, role, and monitoring activities and that the business environment influences a scheduler at work. A new definition of scheduling is presented that includes the significant facilitation and implementation aspects of human scheduling ignored by many computer-based scheduling approaches. The implications for this model extend across the domains of human factors and operations management, especially for the analysis and improvement of existing and new production planning and control processes and enterprise information systems. Actual or potential applications of this research include the analysis, design, and management of planning, scheduling, and control processes in industry; the selection, training, and support of production schedulers; and the allocation of tasks to humans and computer systems in industrial planning, scheduling, and control processes.

Structured Evaluation of Virtual Environments for Special-Needs Education

This paper describes the development of a structured approach to evaluate the experiential and communication virtual learning environments (VLEs) that were designed specifically for use in the education of children with severe learning difficulties at the Shepherd School in Nottingham. Constructivist learning theory was used as a basis for an evaluation framework and analysis method to evaluate the behavior of the participants as well as the quality of the design of three different VLEs. From an observational field study of student-teacher pairs using the VLEs, eighteen behavior categories were identified as relevant to five of seven constructivist principles (Jonassen, 1994). The analysis of student-teacher behavior was used to provide evidence for (or against) how the VLEs met the constructivist principles. Results of this structured evaluation indicate that the three VLEs meet the constructivist principles in very different ways. This paper concludes with recommendations for appropriate design modifications.

Experimental Comparison of Virtual Reality with Traditional Teaching Methods for Teaching Radioactivity

Research at the University of Nottingham has been carried out to investigate the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) for teaching secondary school science. This paper describes the evaluation of VR to teach radioactivity at secondary school level. Evaluation was carried out in a local school and compared directly to the traditional teaching methods currently used in the school to teach radioactivity. Computer experience, computer attitudes, general attitudes and knowledge gained were measured to allow comparisons to be drawn. Individual differences of gender, ability and home computer use were also looked at in relation to the above measures. Results indicated that both ability level and the order in which the conditions were completed significantly affected the attitude scores. High ability students reported higher attitude scores, both overall and for the VR class in particular. As a result of the evaluation study, the Virtual Laboratory has been heavily modified and further evaluation studies were then carried out.

Health and safety implications of virtual environments: Measurement issues

Investigations of the potential impact of virtual environments on user health and safety require a methodological framework to identify both the effects of VE participation and the role of influential factors in causing those effects. This first in a series of 12 experiments was designed to evaluate methods, but also provided preliminary data regarding psychological and physiological effects. This discussion centers upon the value of self-reports and performance measures and the general methodological problems of evaluating participation in virtual environments.

Manufacturing operations in virtual environments move

During the past 2 years, the way in which industry views virtual reality (VR) has changed. Previously, only a few large companies were assessing virtual environments either as internal marketing exercises or through demonstration worlds built for them by outside consultants or universities; most other industrialists may have seen VR as only having entertainment applications. Now there is some evidence that parts of industry, and manufacturing industry in particular, see VR as an increasingly affordable technology with potentially wide-ranging applications. This paper briefly describes a recent U.K. research program MOVE (Manufacturing Operations in Virtual Environments) consisting of an industrial VR user survey and demonstration applications built to allow potential users to make informed assessments of virtual environments. Two particular applications—training for maintenance and rapid prototyping for product design—are described in greater detail as examples of industrially relevant environments, before an assessment is provided of potential VR application in manufacturing.

A front ended approach to the user-centred design of VEs

The specification, development and evaluation of a VE to allow people with Aspergers Syndrome to practise social interaction is described. A front-ended style has been adopted, where the emphasis on user consideration is placed during the early stages of the development life cycle, before any VE programming takes place. A model for user-centred design is presented that shows the involvement of different groups of users and professionals at various stages of design. Design guidelines have been derived from literature reviews and empirical examination of existing VEs. These have then been applied within a highly iterative cycle of low -tech VE specification and review. One VE module has been developed and evaluated with a focus on usability.