IEEE Trans Vis Comput Graph. 2022 Nov;28(11):3810-3820. doi: 10.1109/TVCG.2022.3203103. Epub 2022 Oct 21.
Virtual Reality (VR) provides new possibilities for modern knowledge work. However, the potential advantages of virtual work environments can only be used if it is feasible to work in them for an extended period of time. Until now, there are limited studies of long-term effects when working in VR. This paper addresses the need for understanding such long-term effects. Specifically, we report on a comparative study $i$, in which participants were working in VR for an entire week-for five days, eight hours each day-as well as in a baseline physical desktop environment. This study aims to quantify the effects of exchanging a desktop-based work environment with a VR-based environment. Hence, during this study, we do not present the participants with the best possible VR system but rather a setup delivering a comparable experience to working in the physical desktop environment. The study reveals that, as expected, VR results in significantly worse ratings across most measures. Among other results, we found concerning levels of simulator sickness, below average usability ratings and two participants dropped out on the first day using VR, due to migraine, nausea and anxiety. Nevertheless, there is some indication that participants gradually overcame negative first impressions and initial discomfort. Overall, this study helps lay the groundwork for subsequent research, by clearly highlighting current shortcomings and identifying opportunities for improving the experience of working in VR.
虚拟现实（VR）为现代知识工作提供了新的可能性。然而，只有在长时间内工作在虚拟工作环境中是可行的情况下，虚拟工作环境的潜在优势才能被利用。到目前为止，关于在 VR 中工作的长期影响的研究还很有限。本文旨在探讨理解此类长期影响的必要性。具体来说，我们报告了一项比较研究$i$，参与者在 VR 中工作了整整一周——每天工作 8 小时，共 5 天——以及在基准物理桌面环境中工作。这项研究旨在量化用 VR 环境代替基于桌面的工作环境的效果。因此，在这项研究中，我们没有向参与者展示最好的 VR 系统，而是提供了一种与在物理桌面环境中工作具有可比性的体验的设置。研究结果表明，不出所料，与大多数衡量标准相比，VR 的评分明显更差。除了其他结果外，我们发现了一些令人担忧的模拟病症状水平、低于平均水平的可用性评分以及两名参与者在第一天使用 VR 时因偏头痛、恶心和焦虑而退出。然而，有一些迹象表明，参与者逐渐克服了负面的第一印象和最初的不适。总的来说，这项研究通过清楚地突出当前的不足之处，并确定了改进 VR 工作体验的机会，为后续研究奠定了基础。
