TY - CHAP A1 - Brettschneider, Nico A1 - Herder, Jens A1 - de Mooij, Jeroen A1 - Ryskeldiev, Bektur ED - Herder, Jens T1 - Audio vs. Visual Avatars as Guides in Virtual Environments T2 - 21th International Conference on Human and Computer, HC-2018, March 27–28, 2019, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu, Japan. N2 - Through constant technical progress, multi-user virtual reality is transforming towards a social activity that is no longer only used by remote users, but also in large-scale location-based experiences. We evaluate the usage of realtime-tracked avatars in co-located business-oriented applications in a "guide-user-scenario" in comparison to audio only instructions. The present study examined the effect of an avatar-guide on the user-related factors of Spatial Presence, Social Presence, User Experience and Task Load in order to propose design guidelines for co-located collaborative immersive virtual environments. Therefore, an application was developed and a user study with 40 participants was conducted in order to compare both guiding techniques of a realtime-tracked avatar guide and a non-visualised guide with otherwise constant conditions. Results reveal that the avatar-guide enhanced and stimulated communicative processes while facilitating interaction possibilities and creating a higher sense of mental immersion for users. Furthermore, the avatar-guide appeared to make the storyline more engaging and exciting while helping users adapt to the medium of virtual reality. Even though no assertion could be made concerning the Task Load factor, the avatar-guide achieved a higher subjective value on User Experience. Due to the results, avatars can be considered valuable social elements in the design of future co-located collaborative virtual environments. KW - Virtual Reality KW - Co-located Collaborations KW - Networked Immersive Virtual Environments KW - Head-mounted Display KW - Avatars KW - Lehre Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:due62-opus-23859 UR - https://vsvr.medien.hs-duesseldorf.de/publications/hc2018-avatar/ PB - Hochschule Düsseldorf CY - Düsseldorf ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Herder, Jens A1 - Brettschneider, Nico A1 - de Mooij, Jeroen A1 - Ryskeldiev, Bektur T1 - Avatars for Co-located Collaborations in HMD-based Virtual Environments T2 - IEEE VR 2019, 26th IEEE Conference on Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces, Osaka, March, 2019 N2 - Multi-user virtual reality is transforming towards a social activity that is no longer only used by remote users, but also in large-scale location-based experiences. Usage of realtime-tracked avatars in co-located business-oriented applications with a ”guide-user-scenario” is examined for user-related factors of Spatial Presence, Social Presence, User Experience and Task Load. A user study was conducted in order to compare both techniques of a realtime-tracked avatar and a non-visualised guide. Results reveal that the avatar-guide enhanced and stimulated communicative processes while facilitating interaction possibilities and creating a higher sense of mental immersion for users and engagement. KW - Virtual Reality KW - Co-located Collaborations KW - Head-mounted Display KW - Avatars KW - Social Presence KW - Lehre Y1 - 2019 UR - https://vsvr.medien.hs-duesseldorf.de/publications/ieeevr2019/ U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/VR.2019.8798132 SP - 968 EP - 969 PB - IEEE CY - Osaka ER -