Evaluating Virtual Prototypes in Immersive Environments: The Role of Visual Interaction, Contextual Background, Cybersickness, and Presence

Advances in Virtual Reality (VR) have enabled its use in the evaluation of virtual prototypes (VPs). However, research indicates that how a VP is presented and interacted with can influence participant behavior during product assessment. To investigate factors affecting evaluation reliability, this study examined the effects of visual interaction mode, contextual background, sense of presence, and cybersickness (CS). Forty-five participants observed and evaluated a picnic table in three virtual environments using a Meta Quest Pro head-mounted display (HMD). A within-subjects design compared 2D and 3D representations and neutral versus detailed contexts. Data from the HMD and questionnaires showed no significant differences in product attribute evaluations, overall impressions, or confidence across conditions. Although gaze behavior and sense of presence varied with interaction level and contextual detail, they did not affect evaluations. Together with the low incidence of CS, these findings support the use of theese VR formats for short-term VP evaluation.