VR and co-design: Examining virtual reality as a collaborative tool for the early stages of the design process

Thumbnail Image

Files

master_Robertson_De_Ferrari_Nicolas_2023.pdf (4.1 MB)

URL

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
Location:
Unless otherwise stated, all rights belong to the author. You may download, display and print this publication for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.

Authors

Date

2023

Department

muo

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Master’s Programme in Design

Language

en

Pages

103 + 24

Series

Abstract

This master’s thesis explores the potential of Virtual Reality (VR) as a collaborative tool for iteration and rapid prototyping during the initial stages of the design process as a future integral part of the Design Method. The research is validated using Denzin’s triangulation process, involving a review of existing literature on VR, benchmarking and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders in the design industry and VR software development sector, and the conduction of a series of Usability Testing sessions, observing a select group of industrial designers interacting within an immersive, collaborative workspace developed explicitly for this study. The findings, derived through the triangulation method, have been categorised into three dimensions that discuss and elaborate on each one of the research questions: Fitness: How VR is perceived fit as an exploratory tool; Co-Design in VR: How VR can add to the design process; and Streamlining UX: Considerations for enabling an overall better VR experience. These provide an overview of how Virtual Reality is perceived in the industry and why the aversion to adopting new technologies from a managerial level might be one of the primary reasons for the slow adoption of VR as a design tool. The study also includes VR's best use cases, benefits, and current challenges, such as a fragmented User Experience, the technostress derived from extended immersive sessions and the discordance between the physical and virtual spaces. Last, it discusses high-level suggestions for addressing these to foster the use of VR and the immense potential of immersive technologies for collaborative and explorative practices in the creative industry that transcend today’s technological constraints.

Description

Supervisor

Savolainen, Kaisa

Thesis advisor


Keywords

virtual reality, codesign, collaborative design, remote work, industrial design, extended reality

Other note

Citation

Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202312177311

Collections

[master] Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu / ARTS