Paying attention in metaverse: an experiment on spatial attention allocation in extended reality shopping

IF 4.9 3区 管理学 Q1 INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
Juan Chen, Nannan Xi, Vilma Pohjonen, Juho Hamari
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Abstract

Purpose Metaverse, that is extended reality (XR)-based technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), are increasingly believed to facilitate fundamental human practice in the future. One of the vanguards of this development has been the consumption domain, where the multi-modal and multi-sensory technology-mediated immersion is expected to enrich consumers' experience. However, it remains unclear whether these expectations have been warranted in reality and whether, rather than enhancing the experience, metaverse technologies inhibit the functioning and experience, such as cognitive functioning and experience. Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes a 2 (VR: yes vs no) × 2 (AR: yes vs no) between-subjects laboratory experiment. A total of 159 student participants are randomly assigned to one condition — a brick-and-mortar store, a VR store, an AR store and an augmented virtuality (AV) store — to complete a typical shopping task. Four spatial attention indicators — visit shift, duration shift, visit variation and duration variation — are compared based on attention allocation data converted from head movements extracted from recorded videos during the experiments. Findings This study identifies three essential effects of XR technologies on consumers' spatial attention allocation: the inattention effect, acceleration effect and imbalance effect. Specifically, the inattention effect (the attentional visit shift from showcased products to the environmental periphery) appears when VR or AR technology is applied to virtualize the store and disappears when AR and VR are used together. The acceleration effect (the attentional duration shift from showcased products to the environmental periphery) exists in the VR store. Additionally, AR causes an imbalance effect (the attentional duration variation increases horizontally among the showcased products). Originality/value This study provides valuable empirical evidence of how VR and AR influence consumers' spatial bias in attention allocation, filling the research gap on cognitive function in the metaverse. This study also provides practical guidelines for retailers and XR designers and developers.
虚拟世界中的注意:扩展现实购物中空间注意分配的实验
人们越来越相信,基于扩展现实(XR)的技术,如增强现实(AR)和虚拟现实(VR),将在未来促进人类的基本实践。这一发展的先锋之一是消费领域,其中多模式和多感官技术介导的沉浸有望丰富消费者的体验。然而,目前尚不清楚这些期望在现实中是否合理,以及是否,而不是增强体验,虚拟世界技术抑制功能和体验,如认知功能和体验。设计/方法/方法本研究采用2 (VR:是vs否)× 2 (AR:是vs否)受试者间实验室实验。共有159名学生参与者被随机分配到一个环境中——实体店、虚拟现实店、增强现实店和增强虚拟(AV)店——完成一项典型的购物任务。基于实验过程中从录制视频中提取的头部运动转换成的注意力分配数据,比较了四个空间注意力指标——访问转移、持续时间转移、访问变化和持续时间变化。研究发现,XR技术对消费者空间注意力分配的影响主要有三种:不注意效应、加速效应和失衡效应。具体来说,当应用VR或AR技术虚拟化商店时,会出现注意力不集中效应(即注意力从展示的产品转移到环境周边),而当AR和VR同时使用时,注意力不集中效应就会消失。虚拟现实商店中存在加速效应(即注意力从展示产品转移到环境周边)。此外,AR会导致不平衡效应(在展示的产品中,注意力持续时间的变化水平增加)。独创性/价值本研究为VR和AR如何影响消费者注意分配中的空间偏向提供了有价值的实证证据,填补了在元维度认知功能方面的研究空白。本研究也为零售商和XR设计师和开发者提供了实用的指导。
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来源期刊
Information Technology & People
Information Technology & People INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE-
CiteScore
8.20
自引率
13.60%
发文量
121
期刊介绍: Information Technology & People publishes work that is dedicated to understanding the implications of information technology as a tool, resource and format for people in their daily work in organizations. Impact on performance is part of this, since it is essential to the well being of employees and organizations alike. Contributions to the journal include case studies, comparative theory, and quantitative research, as well as inquiries into systems development methods and practice.
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