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Designing Virtual Natural Environments for Older Adults : Think-Aloud Study

Lundstedt, Rikard LU orcid ; Persson, Johanna LU ; Håkansson, Carita LU orcid ; Frennert, Susanne LU orcid and Wallergård, Mattias LU (2023) In JMIR Human Factors 10.
Abstract

Background: Spending time in natural environments is beneficial for human health, but many older adults have limited or no access to natural environments. Virtual reality technology may be a means to facilitate nature experiences, and so, there is a need for knowledge on how to design virtual restorative natural environments for older adults. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify, implement, and test older adults’ preferences and ideas regarding virtual natural environments. Methods: A total of 14 older adults (mean age 75, SD 5.9 years) participated in an iterative process to design such an environment. We used think-aloud protocols and qualitative content analysis and established questionnaires that targeted usability,... (More)

Background: Spending time in natural environments is beneficial for human health, but many older adults have limited or no access to natural environments. Virtual reality technology may be a means to facilitate nature experiences, and so, there is a need for knowledge on how to design virtual restorative natural environments for older adults. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify, implement, and test older adults’ preferences and ideas regarding virtual natural environments. Methods: A total of 14 older adults (mean age 75, SD 5.9 years) participated in an iterative process to design such an environment. We used think-aloud protocols and qualitative content analysis and established questionnaires that targeted usability, affective aspects, and side effects. These data guided the design decisions for incremental implementations of a prototype. Results: The participants’ preferences included trueness to reality in terms of rendition and behavior; traces of human activity and natural processes that trigger the imagination and provide believability; the ability to roam, explore, and interact with the environment; and a familiar, relatable environment that evokes memories. The iterative design process resulted in a prototype featuring many of the participants’ ideas and preferences, including a seated locomotion technique, animals, a boat ride, the discovery of a boat wreck, and apple picking. The questionnaire results indicated high perceived usability, interest, and enjoyment; low pressure and tension; moderate value and usefulness; and negligible side effects. Conclusions: We suggested 3 principles for virtual natural environments for older adults: realness, interactivity, and relatedness. Virtual natural environments should also provide a diversity of content and activities to accommodate the heterogeneity in older adults’ preferences. These results can contribute to a framework for designing virtual natural environments for older adults. However, these findings need to be tested and potentially revised in future studies.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
older adults, qualitative method, real-time 3D graphics, user-centered design, virtual natural environments
in
JMIR Human Factors
volume
10
article number
e40932
publisher
JMIR Publications Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:37027206
  • scopus:85159903628
ISSN
2292-9495
DOI
10.2196/40932
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
a5b9fb9d-7585-4724-9f4d-1629e15599ff
date added to LUP
2023-09-18 11:18:50
date last changed
2024-04-19 01:11:43
@article{a5b9fb9d-7585-4724-9f4d-1629e15599ff,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Spending time in natural environments is beneficial for human health, but many older adults have limited or no access to natural environments. Virtual reality technology may be a means to facilitate nature experiences, and so, there is a need for knowledge on how to design virtual restorative natural environments for older adults. Objective: The aim of this study was to identify, implement, and test older adults’ preferences and ideas regarding virtual natural environments. Methods: A total of 14 older adults (mean age 75, SD 5.9 years) participated in an iterative process to design such an environment. We used think-aloud protocols and qualitative content analysis and established questionnaires that targeted usability, affective aspects, and side effects. These data guided the design decisions for incremental implementations of a prototype. Results: The participants’ preferences included trueness to reality in terms of rendition and behavior; traces of human activity and natural processes that trigger the imagination and provide believability; the ability to roam, explore, and interact with the environment; and a familiar, relatable environment that evokes memories. The iterative design process resulted in a prototype featuring many of the participants’ ideas and preferences, including a seated locomotion technique, animals, a boat ride, the discovery of a boat wreck, and apple picking. The questionnaire results indicated high perceived usability, interest, and enjoyment; low pressure and tension; moderate value and usefulness; and negligible side effects. Conclusions: We suggested 3 principles for virtual natural environments for older adults: realness, interactivity, and relatedness. Virtual natural environments should also provide a diversity of content and activities to accommodate the heterogeneity in older adults’ preferences. These results can contribute to a framework for designing virtual natural environments for older adults. However, these findings need to be tested and potentially revised in future studies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lundstedt, Rikard and Persson, Johanna and Håkansson, Carita and Frennert, Susanne and Wallergård, Mattias}},
  issn         = {{2292-9495}},
  keywords     = {{older adults; qualitative method; real-time 3D graphics; user-centered design; virtual natural environments}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{JMIR Publications Inc.}},
  series       = {{JMIR Human Factors}},
  title        = {{Designing Virtual Natural Environments for Older Adults : Think-Aloud Study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/40932}},
  doi          = {{10.2196/40932}},
  volume       = {{10}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}