An epistemic network analysis of communication strategies during drawing-supported spatial dialogue in VR

Communicating spatial information is challenging using solely verbal or written language, and is often supported by non-verbal gestures and illustrative drawings. However, the growing need for communicating increasingly complex spatial information, coupled with the rise of remote collaboration, presents challenges that current screen-based solutions are ill-equipped to address. Virtual Reality (VR) offers capabilities to support both non-verbal gestures and complex visual aids, through embodied avatars and 3D virtual representation. However, the novelty of creating, referencing, and viewing 3D drawings in VR may influence the interlocutors’ actions, speech and communication performance. We conducted a mixed-methods within-subject study with dyads to investigate the effects of drawing dimension (2D or 3D drawings) on spatial dialogue behaviours in VR. We found no significant effects of drawing dimension on communication performance and workload, but found significantly different interlocutor actions and speech. We discuss relevant implications and highlight considerations unique to the different communication strategies observed during 2D and 3D drawing use for supporting spatial dialogue in VR.