The influence of shading, display size and individual differences on navigation in virtual reality

Despite extensive usability research on virtual reality (VR) within academia and the increasing use of VR within industry, there is little research evaluating the usability and benefits of VR in applied settings. This is problematic for individuals desiring design principals or best practices for incorporating VR into their business. Furthermore, the literature that does exist often doesn't account for the characteristics of intended users. This shortage is problematic because individual differences have been shown to have a significant impact on performance in spatial tasks. The research presented here is an evaluation of a VR system in use at The Boeing Company, with 28 employees performing navigation and wayfinding tasks across two shading conditions (flat/smooth) and two display conditions (desktop/immersive). Performance was measured based on speed and accuracy. Individual difference factors were used as covariates. Results showed that women and those with high spatial orientation ability performed faster in smooth shading conditions, while flat shading benefited those with low spatial ability particularly for the navigation task. Unexpectedly, immersive presentation did not improve performance significantly. These results demonstrate the impact of individual differences on spatial performance and help determine appropriate tasks, display parameters, and suitable users for the VR system.