VR While Lying Down
Publication link: https://doi.org/10.5445/IR/1000190098
Description:
VR While Lying Down is a new way to interact with VR technology that could make it more accessible for people with mobility disabilities. We interviewed people with mobility disabilities and used the knowledge gained from those interviews to create a research tool designed for lying down. We then used this tool in semi-structured interviews to gain deeper insights into the experience of using VR while lying down for people with mobility disabilities.
Design Approach:
We engaged in a semi-structured interview study with twelve participants who had mobility disabilities. We analyzed these interviews using Qualitative Content Analysis. This analysis allowed us to gain general knowledge of their needs and preferences. We then extracted design recommendations and used them to design our research tool, Fruit Fisher. In Fruit Fisher, a relaxing fishing game, the user is tasked with reeling in five fruits. It is designed for use in VR while lying down. It allows people with mobility disabilities to interact with it in an accessible way by relying only on movements that were found to be accessible while lying down, while also offering alternative movements. Additionally, it has options to adjust the in-game view to different lying down positions (for example allowing to adjust the reclining angle). We then conducted semi-structured interviews, including interaction with Fruit Fisher, with three people with mobility disabilities. This allowed us to validate our insights and design recommendations for VR while lying down for people with mobility disabilities.
Implications for VR Experience:
Small head, torso, and arm movements were considered more accessible, while leg movements were often deemed inaccessible. When designing applications for VR while lying down, accessible movements, movement alternatives, and the ability to adjust the lying position (e.g., reclining angle) should be considered from the start.
Gallery:
Implementation Note
When using the Fruit Fisher research tool, ensure that the Quest Link was set up with the correct orientation. Otherwise, the in-game position adjustment will not work properly. One quick way to do this is to reconnect the Link-cable while keeping the headset in the correct orientation.
For this study, we designed the tool so that we could add features one by one and not overwhelm the user. Pressing "1" on the keyboard activates the position adjustment UI screen. Pressing "2" visualizes the fishing rod in the user's hands. Pressing "3" allows the player to cast the fishing rod, enabling full interaction with the tool.
The source code is available upon reasonable request via mailto:accessvr∂iar.kit.edu.