Keynotes
Anthony Steed (University College London)
Strategies for Designing and Evaluating Mixed Reality Experiences
There are many potential standpoints that one might take and thus measures one might use when evaluating mixed-reality (MR) experiences. In this talk, I will try to bridge between academic research on mixed-reality technologies and the guidance needed for practical engineering of effective experiences. I will look at different standpoints of evaluating mixed-reality, including as MR a novel HCI, as a tool for use and as a communication medium, and then draw upon different methods we use to advance the scientific and practical understanding of what makes an effective experience. I will draw a lot on our prior experimental work in each area, but also showcase some examples of good design from consumer and professional applications. In doing this I will highlight some areas that are ripe for further study, but also some effective practical designs that challenge assumptions we make in laboratory experiments.
Anthony Steed is Head of the Virtual Environments and Computer Graphics group in the Department of Computer Science at University College London. He has over 30 years’ experience in developing effective immersive experiences. While his early work focussed on the engineering of displays and software, more recently it has focussed on user engagement in collaboration and telepresence scenarios. He received the IEEE VGTC’s 2016 Virtual Reality Technical Achievement Award.
Rachel McDonnell (Trinity College Dublin)
Perception of digital avatars and agents in the ‘Metaverse’
Recent developments in digital human technologies enable communication with even highly realistic characters in immersive virtual environments. These digital avatars require the human’s motion data to be tracked using tracking systems such as VR headsets and controllers. Research going back to the 1970s has shown that this biological motion data that we are tracking is rich in psychological information such as social categories, emotional state, intentions, and underlying dispositions. In this talk, I will discuss research that I have conducted over the years on the perception of digital humans, with a focus on how congruent and incongruent motion and morphologies are perceived. I will also discuss the implications for avatar-based interactions and virtual agents in the ‘Metaverse’, as technology develops, and motion capture data becomes more accessible to all.
Rachel McDonnell is an Associate Professor in Creative Technologies at the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin. She is also a Fellow of Trinity College, a Principal Investigator in the ADAPT Research Centre, and a member of the Graphics, Vision, and Visualisation Group.