Depending on their formality, clothes do not only change one’s appearance, but can also influence behavior and cognitive processes. Shoes are a special aspect of an outfit. Besides coming in various degrees of formality, their structure can affect human gait. Avatars used to embody users in immersive Virtual Reality (VR) can wear any kind of clothing. According to the Proteus Effect, the appearance of a user’s avatar can influence their behavior. Users change their behavior in accordance to the expected behavior of the avatar. In our study, we embody 39 participants with a generic avatar of the user’s gender wearing three different pairs of shoes as within condition. The shoes differ in degree of formality. We measure the gait during a 2-minute walking task during which participants wore the same real shoe and assess selective attention using the Stroop task. Our results show significant differences in gait between the tested virtual shoe pairs. We found small effects between the three shoe conditions with respect to selective attention. However, we found no significant differences with respect to correct items and response time in the Stroop task. Thus, our results indicate that virtual shoes are accepted by users and, although not eliciting any physical constraints, lead to changes in gait. This suggests that users not only adjust personal behavior according to the Proteus Effect, but also are affected by virtual biomechanical constraints. Also, our results suggest a potential influence of virtual clothing on cognitive performance.

Recent research shows that visualizing linguistic bias mitigates its negative effects. However, reliable automatic detection methods to generate such visualizations require costly, knowledge-intensive training data. To facilitate data collection for media bias datasets, we present News Ninja, a game employing data-collecting game mechanics to generate a crowdsourced dataset. Before annotating sentences, players are educated on media bias via a tutorial. Our findings show that datasets gathered with crowdsourced workers trained on News Ninja can reach significantly higher inter-annotator agreements than expert and crowdsourced datasets with similar data quality. As News Ninja encourages continuous play, it allows datasets to adapt to the reception and contextualization of news over time, presenting a promising strategy to reduce data collection expenses, educate players, and promote long-term bias mitigation.

Machine learning is an essential aspect of modern life that many educational institutions incorporate into their curricula. Often, students struggle to grasp how neural networks learn. Teaching these concepts could be assisted with pedagogical agents and serious games, which both have proven helpful for complex topics like engineering. We present "Traversing the Pass," a serious game that utilizes a mentor-like agent to explain the underlying machine learning concepts and provides feedback. We optimized the agent's design in a pre-study before evaluating its effectiveness compared to a text-only user interface with experts and students. Participants performed better in a second assessment two weeks later if they played the game using the agent. Although criticized as repetitive, the game created an understanding of basic machine learning concepts and achieved high flow values. Our results indicate that agents could be used to enhance the beneficial effects of serious games with improved knowledge retention.

As we develop computing platforms for augmented reality (AR) head-mounted display (HMDs) technologies for social or workplace environments, understanding how users interact with notifications in immersive environments has become crucial. We researched effectiveness and user preferences of different interaction modalities for notifications, along with two types of notification display methods. In our study, participants were immersed in a simulated cooking environment using an AR-HMD, where they had to fulfill customer orders. During the cooking process, participants received notifications related to customer orders and ingredient updates. They were given three interaction modes for those notifications: voice commands, eye gaze and dwell, and hand gestures. To manage multiple notifications at once, we also researched two different notification list displays, one attached to the user’s hand and one in the world. Results indicate that participants preferred using their hands to interact with notifications and having the list of notifications attached to their hands. Voice and gaze interaction was perceived as having lower usability than touch.

Abstract Medical graduates lack procedural skills experience required to manage emergencies. Recent advances in virtual reality (VR) technology enable the creation of highly immersive learning environments representing easy-to-use and affordable solutions for training with simulation. However, the feasibility in compulsory teaching, possible side effects of immersion, perceived stress, and didactic benefits have to be investigated systematically. VR-based training sessions using head-mounted displays alongside a real-time dynamic physiology system were held by student assistants for small groups followed by debriefing with a tutor. In the pilot study, 36 students rated simulation sickness. In the main study, 97 students completed a virtual scenario as active participants (AP) and 130 students as observers (OBS) from the first-person perspective on a monitor. Participants completed questionnaires for evaluation purposes and exploratory factor analysis was performed on the items. The extent of simulation sickness remained low to acceptable among participants of the pilot study. In the main study, students valued the realistic environment and guided practical exercise. AP perceived the degree of immersion as well as the estimated learning success to be greater than OBS and proved to be more motivated post training. With respect to AP, the factor “sense of control” revealed a typical inverse U-shaped relationship to the scales “didactic value” and “individual learning benefit”. Summing up, curricular implementation of highly immersive VR-based training of emergencies proved feasible and found a high degree of acceptance among medical students. This study also provides insights into how different conceptions of perceived stress distinctively moderate subjective learning success.

We present the gamified AR learning environment ARES. During the gameplay, learners guide the little dragon called “Ares” through dungeons. Using AR, ARES three-dimensionally integrates the dungeons in the real-world. Each dungeon represents a coordinate system with obstacles that ultimately create mathematical exercises, e.g. rotating a door to let the dragon fly through it. Overcoming such a challenge requires a learner to spatially analyze the exercise and apply the fundamental mathematical principles. ARES displays a debriefing screen at the end of a dungeon to further support the learning process. In a preliminary qualitative user study, pre-service and in-service teachers saw great potential in ARES for providing further practical and motivating exercises to deepen the knowledge in the classroom and at home.

C# is the most widely used programming language among XR developers. However, only a limited number of graph-based data acquisition tools exist for C# software. XR development commonly relies on reusing existing software components to accelerate development. Graph-based visualization tools can facilitate this comprehension process, e.g., by providing an overview of relationships between components. This work describes a new tool called Src2Neo that generates labeled property graphs of C#-based software projects. The stored graph follows a simple C# naming scheme and — contrary to other solutions — maps each software entity to exactly one node. The resulting graph facilitates the comprehension process by providing an easy to read representation of software components. Additionally, the generated graphs can act as a data basis for more advanced software visualizations without the need for complex data requests.

Separating and recycling waste is an important topic to protect our environment and achieve a more sustainable future. However, recycling also is a complex process, as each type of waste needs a specific recycling method. This comes along with multiple recycling containers, each relevant for one specific type of waste. Ensuring a correct recycling process therefore not only requires specific infrastructure, but also a respective attitude and knowledge of the population. Stressing the need for an accessible educational opportunity addressing waste separation, we present a mobile Augmented Reality (AR) application that guides a user through a recycling process and hence scaffolds the learning of proper recycling of each type of waste. The app further provides a prototypical implementation of a product scanner, that identifies the waste type based on a marker and assists the recycling on a case-by-case decision. Using self-determination theory as a framework, we integrated gamification elements, aiming for enhanced need satisfaction, motivation and user experience. In a user study, we compared the gamified version to a control version, with both app versions yielding a high acceptance, user experience, and waste separation behavior. This indicates the importance of providing easy-to-use mobile apps allowing for a learning and assistance of proper recycling.

The integration of Augmented Reality (AR) in teaching concepts allows for the visualization of complex learning contents and can simultaneously enhance the learning motivation. By providing Tangible Augmented Reality (TAR), an AR learning environment receives a haptic aspect and allows for a direct manipulation of augmented learning materials. However, manipulating tangible objects while using handheld AR might reduce the intuitive use and hence user experience. Users need to simultaneously control the application and manipulate the tangible object. Therefore, we compare the differences in intuitive use and user experience evoked by varied technologies of knowledge presentation in an educational context. In particular, we compare a TAR learning environment targeting the learning of the anatomy of vertebrates to its smartphone-only and AR-only versions. The three versions of the learning environment only differ in their method of knowledge presentation. The three versions show a similar perceived intuitive use. The TAR version, however, yielded a significantly higher attractiveness and stimulation than AR-only and smartphone-only. This suggests a positive effect of TAR learning environments on the overall learning experience.

Historic buildings shown in open-air museums often lack a good accessibility and visitors rarely can interact with them as well as displayed tools to learn about processes. Providing these buildings in Virtual Reality could be a great supplement for museums to provide accessible and interactive offers. To investigate the effectiveness of this approach and to derive design guidelines, we developed an interactive virtual replicate of a medieval mill. We present the design of the mill and the results of a preliminary usability evaluation.

In health care, there are still many devices with poorly designed user interfaces that can lead to user errors. Especially in acute care, an error can lead to critical conditions in patients. Previous research has shown that the use of augmented reality can help to better monitor the condition of patients and better detect unforeseen events. The system created in this work is intended to aid in the detection of changes in patient and equipment-data in order to increase detection of critical conditions or errors.

Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly being explored as an alternative medium for gambling games to attract players. Typically, gambling games try to impair a player's decision making, usually for the disadvantage of the players' financial outcome. An impaired decision making results in the inability to differentiate between advantageous and disadvantageous options. We investigated if and how immersion impacts decision making using a VR-based realization of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to pinpoint potential risks and effects of gambling in VR. During the IGT, subjects are challenged to draw cards from four different decks of which two are advantageous. The selections made serve as a measure of a participant's decision making during the task. In a novel user study, we compared the effects of immersion on decision making between a low-immersive desktop-3D-based IGT realization and a high immersive VR version. Our results revealed significantly more disadvantageous decisions when playing the immersive VR version. This indicates an impairing effect of immersion on simulated real life decision making and provides empirical evidence for a high risk potential of gambling games targeting immersive VR.

Affine Transformations (ATs) often escape an intuitive approach due to their high complexity. Therefore, we developed GEtiT that directly encodes ATs in its game mechanics and scales the knowledge's level of abstraction. This results in an intuitive application as well as audiovisual presentation of ATs and hence in a knowledge learning. We also developed a specific Virtual Reality (VR) version to explore the effects of immersive VR on the learning outcomes. This paper presents our approach of directly encoding abstract knowledge in game mechanics, the conceptual design of GEtiT and its technical implementation. Both versions are compared in regard to their usability in a user study. The results show that both GEtiT versions induce a high degree of flow and elicit a good intuitive use. They validate the effectiveness of the design and the resulting knowledge application requirements. Participants favored GEtiT VR thus showing a potentially higher learning quality when using VR.

Slot machines are one of the most played games by pathological gamblers. New technologies, e.g. immersive Virtual Reality (VR), offer more possibilities to exploit erroneous beliefs in the context of gambling. However, the risk potential of VR-based gambling has not been researched, yet. A higher immersion might increase harmful aspects, thus making VR realizations more dangerous. Measuring harm-inducing factors reveals the risk potential of virtual gambling. In a user study, we analyze a slot machine realized as a desktop 3D and as an immersive VR version. Both versions are compared in respect to effects on dissociation, urge to gamble, dark flow, and illusion of control. Our study shows significantly higher values of dissociation, dark flow, and urge to gamble in the VR version. Presence significantly correlates with all measured harm-inducing factors. We demonstrate that VR-based gambling has a higher risk potential. This creates the importance of regulating VR-based gambling.

This paper compares teacher training in Virtual Reality (VR) to traditional approaches based on videos analysis and reflections. Our VR-assisted teacher training targets classroom management (CM) skills, using a low cost collaborative immersive VR platform. First results reveal a significant improvement using the VR approach.

This article presents the Gamified Training Environment for Affine Transformations (GEtiT). GEtiT uses a 3D environment to visualize the effects of object rotation, translation, scaling, reflection, and shearing in 3D space. It encodes the abstract knowledge about homogeneous transformations and their order of application using specific game mechanics encoding 3D movements on different levels of abstraction. Progress in the game requires mastering of the game mechanics of a certain level of abstraction to modify objects in 3D space to a desired goal position and/or shape. Each level increases the abstraction of the representation towards a final 4 × 4 homogeneous matrix representation. Executing the game mechanics during the gameplay results in an effective training of knowledge due to a constant repetition. Evaluation showed a learning effect that is equal to a traditional training method while it achieved a higher enjoyment of use indicating that the learning quality was superior to the traditional training method.