Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

When the Glitches Get Real

What are the most common user experience challenges in using virtual reality, and how they impact the users’ attitudes towards it?

Project overview

Year of project

2024 - ongoing

Members

Borbála Tölgyesi

Project manager

Judit Gottfried

gottfried.judit@mome.hu

The project focuses on identifying the everyday challenges that Virtual Reality (VR) users encounter, which hinder their VR experience and activities. We aim to understand the pain points and common obstacles in current VR systems. Insights gained will provide guidance to developers and designers in creating more accessible and comfortable VR experiences. Ultimately, our goal is to enhance user satisfaction and pave the way for more user-friendly VR solutions in the future.

Although virtual reality is a promising tool offering benefits such as enhancing learning, promoting environmental awareness, effective design requires understanding potential blockers and user issues. Despite its significant potential, VR faces technical and user experience challenges. To address these, as a first step, we must understand and map out the main problems users face. Key challenges include both hardware and software issues.

Display artifacts can cause discomfort, while hardware problems like the weight of headsets and repetitive movements can lead to physical discomfort. While some challenges have been studied, comprehensive research on users' reported discomforts is limited. This research aims to investigate the barriers to VR adoption and key considerations for creators. Ultimately, gaining insights to improve user satisfaction and create a foundation for developing more user-friendly VR solutions in the future and help make the most of the opportunities offered by the technology.