About this Research Topic
Multimodality in designing interactive systems has long been a fundamental pillar for enhancing interactions and (more recently) for improving User Experience (UX). Recent research has been investigating its role when paired with other interaction frameworks and platforms such as Immersive Technologies (e.g. Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) particularly). Such technologies have been applied across a wide range of sectors including Education, Healthcare, Mining, Construction, Manufacturing and Crisis Management such as firefighting applications. In the past years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, telepresence and remote working has been viewed as an upcoming promising trend in providing inclusion (by enhancing accessibility and collaboration). The recent pandemic has accentuated the advantages of Mixed Reality through sustaining active workplaces and economy to an extent. However, it has also emphasised challenges such as technology affordability and fatigue.
Research has highlighted advantages of using Immersive Technologies in the workplace as they offer enhanced collaborative opportunities, precision and critical simulations in tasks’ completion and training. As noted, cost and fatigue are the key obstacles in adopting Mixed Reality/VR/AR in remote working. Furthermore, the use of such technologies within the workplace triggers changes in culture and work practice (e.g. work expectations are shifted introducing new needs in defining workplace ecosystem boundaries but also identifying ‘trade-offs’ in using such technologies without compromising safety, wellbeing and User Experience (UX)). Recent reviews on the value, embodiment and multimodality in VR have indicated that key advantages of such technologies include offering an ‘extension’ of space where people interact, communicate and operate that they hadn’t had before.
New forms of multimodality are shaping up, further extending interactional and experiential capabilities. However, are such VR-mediated experiences of the same ‘value’ and impact as the non-VR ones? In what ways do they differ and how can task performance (whether learning, training or else) be measured in a valid, trustworthy and verifiable manner? This Research Topic aims to unpack recent advances on these areas in VR and Mixed Reality broadly acknowledging the recent emerged demands due to the pandemic.
This Research Topic aims to facilitate a venue to publish novel research and reviews addressing the following topics:
- Impact of immersive technologies in a post-pandemic era and their effect on task performance and User Experience
- Identifying requirements, design and assessment of multimodality embedded in immersive technologies across different sectors
- Are immersive technologies safe, trustworthy and worthy of use? How can such behavioral challenges be mediated?
- What are the boundaries of new immersive ecosystems and what impact do these have on peoples’ wellbeing?
- What differences do varied work environments pose in designing immersion?
Potential authors can submit either theoretical or applied research manuscripts of original work that address one or multiple questions (as highlighted above) and aim to demonstrate novel insights and findings.
Research has highlighted advantages of using Immersive Technologies in the workplace as they offer enhanced collaborative opportunities, precision and critical simulations in tasks’ completion and training. As noted, cost and fatigue are the key obstacles in adopting Mixed Reality/VR/AR in remote working. Furthermore, the use of such technologies within the workplace triggers changes in culture and work practice (e.g. work expectations are shifted introducing new needs in defining workplace ecosystem boundaries but also identifying ‘trade-offs’ in using such technologies without compromising safety, wellbeing and User Experience (UX)). Recent reviews on the value, embodiment and multimodality in VR have indicated that key advantages of such technologies include offering an ‘extension’ of space where people interact, communicate and operate that they hadn’t had before.
New forms of multimodality are shaping up, further extending interactional and experiential capabilities. However, are such VR-mediated experiences of the same ‘value’ and impact as the non-VR ones? In what ways do they differ and how can task performance (whether learning, training or else) be measured in a valid, trustworthy and verifiable manner? This Research Topic aims to unpack recent advances on these areas in VR and Mixed Reality broadly acknowledging the recent emerged demands due to the pandemic.
This Research Topic aims to facilitate a venue to publish novel research and reviews addressing the following topics:
- Impact of immersive technologies in a post-pandemic era and their effect on task performance and User Experience
- Identifying requirements, design and assessment of multimodality embedded in immersive technologies across different sectors
- Are immersive technologies safe, trustworthy and worthy of use? How can such behavioral challenges be mediated?
- What are the boundaries of new immersive ecosystems and what impact do these have on peoples’ wellbeing?
- What differences do varied work environments pose in designing immersion?
Potential authors can submit either theoretical or applied research manuscripts of original work that address one or multiple questions (as highlighted above) and aim to demonstrate novel insights and findings.
Keywords: multimodality, user experience, immersive technologies, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, immersive ecosystem
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
