Avatar quality: A study on presence and user preference

Avatar quality: A study on presence and user preference
Cristina Gasch, Alireza Javanmardi, Azucena Garcia-Palacios, Alain Pagani
In: Proceedings of. IEEE International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Extended and Virtual Reality (AIxVR-2024), IEEE, 2024.

Abstract:

With the increasing demand for remote work, virtual reality technologies are increasingly being considered as an option. However, the cybersickness they can induce may hinder their usage. A factor that can help mitigate this issue is allowing a user representation to interact in the world more naturally, thereby increasing the sense of presence. The aim of this study is to obtain a comparative analysis of the user’s sense of presence when using different avatars in a work and educational context. Additionally, it aims to analyze user acceptability and preferences for using them. The study involved 42 users ranging from 22 to 62 years of age, all of whom had prior experience with technologies for online meetings or virtual reality. The results indicate that hyper-realistic avatars generate a greater sense of presence, and users prefer them in work and educational settings. Furthermore, the results reveal a high intention to use them in these contexts.