Working on empathy with the use of extended reality scenarios: the Mr. UD project

Abstract

Empathy has become a central part of design and is loudly manifested in several frameworks such as universal design, inclusive design or human-centred design. This paper presents five independent Extended Reality (XR) scenarios that put potential users in the shoes of people with special needs such as vision impairments, autism spectrum disorder, mobility impairments, pregnancy state and some problems of the elderly. All exercises occur in a supermarket environment and the application is prepared for Oculus Quest 2 platform and is supported in some cases by tangible equipment (geriatric suit, pregnancy belly simulator, wheelchair). The proposed simulations were validated by experts who evaluated the quality of the proposed tasks and the possibility of simulating selected limitations or issues in XR. Ongoing development and testing of the XR application will provide further in-depth views on its usefulness, acceptance and impact in increasing empathy towards the challenges faced by the personas portrayed.