Beyond Usability : Exploring the Emotional and Aesthetic Factors of Desktop Virtual Reality-based Learning Environments

• Main Authors: Chuah, Kee Man, Chen, Chwen Jen, Teh, Chee Siong
• Format: Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: T Technology (General)
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/29981/1/Beyond%20Usability%20-%20Copy.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/29981/

The capability of desktop virtual reality (VR) technology in influencing the cognitive capacity of the learners has been extensively investigated by many researchers. Nevertheless, emotional and aesthetic factors have too often been given little attention especially in the contexts of desktop VR-based learning environments. In this work, Kansei Engineering methods were used to guide the process of uncovering the emotional and aesthetic aspects of a desktop VR-based project known as Virtual Simulated Traffics for Road Safety Education (ViSTREET). This paper presents the results from the first of the three-phase kansei experiments, which involved eight participants. Each participant was required to evaluate ten different virtual environments and rate them accordingly. The results revealed the association of kansei to each design instance and highlighted the features of emotionallysound virtual learning environments. The outcome of this work highlights the need to consider learners’ emotional and aesthetic factors when designing VR-based learning environments.