An investigation of design in virtual reality across the variation of training degree and visual realism

“Research showed that immersive technologies can significantly improve the design process. However, it is important to consider the ease of implementation of solutions (e.g. price, simplicity). Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the uses of two types of virtual environments that are relatively simple to implement: a basic model of a room and its 3D scan. Participants made sketches using a virtual reality application, provided by the instructors, in each of the two different VR environments. The sketches are proposals to a furniture co-creation task. Results indicate a better co-creation process during the second session than during the first, which reveals that training is an important criterion in this case. Furthermore, co-creation is felt to be better in the case of the modeled place compared to the 3D scan. This result could be due to the presence of useless virtual objects that can cause a distraction to the participants. These results are discussed from an applicative standpoint.