Short answer
Prioritize clear, progressive learning pathways that build both practical interaction skills and conceptual understanding of immersive technology's unique capabilities and limitations.
- Field
- Human Factors
- Source
- Frontiers in Virtual Reality (2023)
- Method
- Conceptual Framework Development
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Users develop practical knowledge (competence) and conceptual understanding (literacy) of immersive technologies, which are crucial for their effective use and acceptance. This human factors research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Frontiers in Virtual Reality. Using Conceptual framework development, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Prioritize clear, progressive learning pathways that build both practical interaction skills and conceptual understanding of immersive technology's unique capabilities and limitations.
Immersive Competence and Literacy: Key to User Adoption of VR/AR
Users develop practical knowledge (competence) and conceptual understanding (literacy) of immersive technologies, which are crucial for their effective use and acceptance.
Frontiers in Virtual Reality · 2023
Key Findings
- 01Immersive competence refers to the practical skills and knowledge of how typical immersive interfaces function (e.g., button usage, locomotion).
- 02Immersive literacy refers to the awareness of the unique characteristics of immersive interfaces, their appropriate use cases, and typical media forms.
- 03Users accumulate competence and literacy through exposure and interaction with immersive systems.
Application
Design takeaway
Prioritize clear, progressive learning pathways that build both practical interaction skills and conceptual understanding of immersive technology's unique capabilities and limitations.
How to apply
When designing a new VR application, map out the core interactions and conceptual understandings a user needs. Then, design an onboarding sequence that explicitly teaches these, starting with basic competence and moving towards deeper literacy.
Project actions
- 01Consider how users with different levels of experience will interact with your design.
- 02Think about how to teach users the necessary skills and knowledge for your immersive project.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a useful conceptual framework for understanding user learning in a novel domain.
- +Highlights key areas for future research and design consideration.
Limitations
The concepts are theoretical and may need empirical validation for specific immersive technologies.
Reliability & validity
The conceptual nature of the framework means direct reliability and validity measures are not applicable without empirical testing.
Think critically
How might the development of immersive competence and literacy differ across various immersive technologies (e.g., mobile AR vs. high-end VR)?
Design Principles
"Design for progressive immersion: Gradually introduce complexity and affordances, supporting users in developing both practical competence and conceptual literacy."
Understanding how users build familiarity and knowledge with immersive interfaces is vital for designers creating new VR/AR experiences. This insight guides the development of intuitive onboarding processes and content that accounts for varying levels of user expertise.
What This Means for Your Design
People learn how to use VR/AR by doing things (getting 'competent') and by understanding what VR/AR is good for and how it's different (getting 'literate').
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this paper when discussing user understanding and learning curves for your immersive design project.
- 2.Use the concepts of competence and literacy to analyze user testing results or to justify your design choices for user onboarding.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The development of user proficiency in immersive environments can be understood through the lenses of 'immersive competence' and 'immersive literacy' (Steed et al., 2023). Competence relates to the practical skills of interacting with interfaces, while literacy encompasses a deeper understanding of the medium's unique affordances and applications. Designing for effective user adoption requires addressing both aspects through intuitive interfaces and comprehensive onboarding.
Source
Frontiers in Virtual Reality
Immersive competence and immersive literacy: Exploring how users learn about immersive experiences
journal · 2023
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about immersive competence and literacy: key to user adoption of vr/ar?
- Prioritize clear, progressive learning pathways that build both practical interaction skills and conceptual understanding of immersive technology's unique capabilities and limitations. Evidence: Frontiers in Virtual Reality (2023).
- Why does "Immersive Competence and Literacy: Key to User Adoption of VR/AR" matter for design?
- Understanding how users build familiarity and knowledge with immersive interfaces is vital for designers creating new VR/AR experiences. This insight guides the development of intuitive onboarding processes and content that accounts for varying levels of user expertise.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Prioritize clear, progressive learning pathways that build both practical interaction skills and conceptual understanding of immersive technology's unique capabilities and limitations.
- What were the main findings?
- Immersive competence refers to the practical skills and knowledge of how typical immersive interfaces function (e.g., button usage, locomotion).. Immersive literacy refers to the awareness of the unique characteristics of immersive interfaces, their appropriate use cases, and typical media forms.. Users accumulate competence and literacy through exposure and interaction with immersive systems.
- What research method was used?
- Conceptual Framework Development.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2023 journal from Frontiers in Virtual Reality.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing a new VR application, map out the core interactions and conceptual understandings a user needs. Then, design an onboarding sequence that explicitly teaches these, starting with basic competence and moving towards deeper literacy.
- What are the limitations?
- The paper presents a conceptual framework rather than empirical data on user learning trajectories.