Virtual reality (VR) holds potential for music performance training by simulating realistic performance environments that evoke audience-related pressure in controlled settings. While progress has been made in creating immersive VR concert spaces, little research has examined the experience of musicians or the design considerations that support its use for training. Using a research-through-design approach, we conducted a two-phase study with 12 student musicians performing in a custom-built VR concert hall simulation. Through iterative design and performer feedback, we generate new insights into performer-centred research and identify design considerations, laying the groundwork for future development of music performance training.

Social media has blurred the line between professional journalism and personality-driven commentary, yet we know little about how users evaluate credibility and engage with news from influencers and legacy media when they appear in the same feed. This short paper investigates how political ideology and news source type shape perceived credibility and follow intentions on Instagram. We conducted a mixed-methods experiment where U.S.-based participants (N=120) viewed a set of real news posts and rated the credibility of four accounts (two legacy media–based, two influencer-based), balanced by ideology (two left-leaning, two right-leaning), and indicated whether they would follow each account. Our findings suggest that perceived credibility on Instagram is multi-dimensional, rooted in ideological alignment, yet moderated by institutional signals and perceived authenticity. These insights highlight how platform design and source dynamics can reinforce selective exposure, with implications for both mitigating polarisation and strengthening trust in online news ecosystems.

Communicating complex scientific concepts to non-experts is a persistent challenge. The communication of ecological state-and-transition models (STMs) through box-and-arrow diagrams is one example. This paper explores how virtual reality (VR) can make STMs more accessible. Using ecosystem STMs as a case study, we present a proof-of-concept system enabling users to viscerally experience the content of the model. We followed a three-phased participatory design process: first, 2 ecology experts guided the development of a VR prototype. Next, 17 government environmental management professionals evaluated its utility and features. Finally, after refining the system, 12 VR researchers informed design considerations and improvements. Our findings provide practical insights for visualising STMs in VR, and also contribute to the emerging field of “data visceralisation”. We found this approach engages users and supports understanding of qualitative aspects of real-world phenomena. However, complex models like ecosystem STMs require the creation of accurate and extensive simulations. We conclude with a discussion for future directions.

Collaborative Mixed Reality (MR) enables embodied meetings for distributed collaborators working across a variety of locations. However, providing a coherent experience for all users regardless of the spatial configurations of their respective physical environments is a central challenge. We present the Spatial Heterogeneity Framework, which breaks the problem into four core components: the activity zones, heterogeneity ladder, blended proxemics, and MR solutions matrix. We explain the interplay between these components, demonstrating their interconnectivity via a case study. Our framework enables researchers to navigate differences and trade-offs between solutions for distributed MR collaboration. It also supports designers to think about the role of space, technology, and social behaviours in MR collaboration. Ultimately, our contributions advance the field by conceptualising the challenges of spatial heterogeneity and strategies to overcome them.

Virtual avatars are more and more often featured in Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) applications. When embodying a virtual avatar, one may desire to change of appearance over the course of the embodiment. However, switching suddenly from one appearance to another can break the continuity of the user experience and potentially impact the sense of embodiment (SoE), especially when the new appearance is very different. In this paper, we explore how applying smooth visual transitions at the moment of the change can help to maintain the SoE and benefit the general user experience. To address this, we implemented an AR system allowing users to embody a regular-shaped avatar that can be transformed into a muscular one through a visual effect. The avatar's transformation can be triggered either by the user through physical action (“active” transition), or automatically launched by the system (“passive” transition). We conducted a user study to evaluate the effects of these two types of transformations on the SoE by comparing them to control conditions where there was no visual feedback of the transformation. Our results show that changing the appearance of one's avatar with an active transition (with visual feedback), compared to a passive transition, helps to maintain the user's sense of agency, a component of the SoE. They also partially suggest that the Proteus effects experienced during the embodiment were enhanced by these transitions. Therefore, we conclude that visual effects controlled by the user when changing their avatar's appearance can benefit their experience by preserving the SoE and intensifying the Proteus effects.

This work explores a new usage of Augmented Reality (AR) to extend perception and interaction within physical areas ahead of ourselves. To do so, we propose to detach ourselves from our physical position by creating a controllable “digital copy”; of our body that can be used to navigate in local space from a third-person perspective. With such a viewpoint, we aim to improve our mental representation of distant space and understanding of action possibilities (called affordances), without requiring us to physically enter this space. Our approach relies on AR to virtually integrate the user’s body in remote areas in the form of an avatar. We discuss concrete application scenarios and propose several techniques to manipulate avatars in the third person as a part of a larger conceptual framework. Finally, through a user study employing one of the proposed techniques (puppeteering), we evaluate the validity of using third-person embodiment to extend our perception of the real world to areas outside of our proximal zone. We found that this approach succeeded in enhancing the user’s accuracy and confidence when estimating their action capabilities at distant locations.

Virtual self-avatars have been increasingly used in Augmented Reality (AR) where one can see virtual content embedded into physical space. However, little is known about the perception of self-avatars in such a context. The possibility that their embodiment could be achieved in a similar way as in Virtual Reality opens the door to numerous applications in education, communication, entertainment, or the medical field. This article aims to review the literature covering the embodiment of virtual self-avatars in AR. Our goal is (i) to guide readers through the different options and challenges linked to the implementation of AR embodiment systems, (ii) to provide a better understanding of AR embodiment perception by classifying the existing knowledge, and (iii) to offer insight on future research topics and trends for AR and avatar research. To do so, we introduce a taxonomy of virtual embodiment experiences by defining a "body avatarization" continuum. The presented knowledge suggests that the sense of embodiment evolves in the same way in AR as in other settings, but this possibility has yet to be fully investigated. We suggest that, whilst it is yet to be well understood, the embodiment of avatars has a promising future in AR and conclude by discussing possible directions for research.