Creativity Support Tools (CSTs), like sketching tools, enable designers in their creative activities. As designers may have different needs during different thinking phases, accessing physiological responses in real-time would enable CSTs to better adapt to these different phases. Several studies have focused on either different phases on the same tool or the same phase on different tools. We investigate ways to discriminate divergent and convergent thinking phases using physiological response. We replicated the same experiment with thirty participants each on two different CSTs: in immersive virtual reality and on an interactive whiteboard (2D). We analyzed Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) during a divergent thinking task followed by a convergent thinking task. Our results revealed significant changes in arousal, measured through HRV and GSR, which seem specific to each creative thinking phase. We discuss how each phase can be linked with specific reactions independently of the CST. We suggest that it may be possible to detect a favorable creative state depending on the task being performed.

The usage of biofeedback in Virtual Reality (VR) is becoming more and more important in providing fully immersive experiences. With the rapid evolution of physiological monitoring technologies it is important to study how different modalities of biofeedback can alter user experience. While previous studies use biofeedback as an additional interaction mechanic. We created a protocol to assess heart rate control competency and used the results of said protocol to immerse our participants in a VR experience where the biofeedback mechanics are mandatory to complete a game. We observed consistent results between our competency scale and the participants' mastery of the biofeedback game mechanic in the VR experience. We also found that the biofeedback mechanic has a significant impact on engagement.

This paper presents the first study of a series of experiments aiming to investigate the impact of avatar visual fidelity on user experience with emphasis on the sense of embodiment in immersive virtual environments (IVE). This first experiment requires participants to evaluate three characters with several levels of visual fidelity: a robot, a suit and a virtual doppelganger. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the impact of truthfulness (degree of similarity between users and avatars) and self-esteem on perceived avatars' attractiveness. Our results demonstrate the positive impact of truthfulness on the evaluation of attractiveness and suggest a correlation between self-esteem and avatar selection.

International audience