Study of Human-Computer Interactions in Collaborative Virtual Environments

In the last years, Virtual Reality (VR) has rapidly evolved as well as its technological dimensions and applicative contexts. Most applications regard with those product design process activities involving multidisciplinary competences such as technical Design Reviews (DR). Human- Computer Interaction protocol analysis is particularly useful to highlight how technology influence single users’ behaviours, representational ways and communication modalities. In order to be successful, a Collaborative Virtual Environment (CVE) must naturally support cognitive design actions and natural engagement, stimulating comparison and discussion while reducing time and costs. In this context, our research aims at evaluating performances of different virtual environments for design applications involving multiple specialists with different knowledge and level of expertise. A structured protocol is defined to highlight the main cognitive actions and interaction styles in co-located VR-based collaborative environments in order to assess how VR systems affect multidisciplinary cooperation and teamwork. Experimental test cases are used for comparing the use of virtual and physical prototypes in DR and addressing future research developments.