research-article

VRBubble: Enhancing Peripheral Awareness of Avatars for People with Visual Impairments in Social Virtual Reality

Authors:

Brianna Cochran,

Yuhang ZhaoAuthors Info & Claims

ASSETS '22: Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

Article No.: 3, Pages 1 - 17

https://doi.org/10.1145/3517428.3544821

Published: 22 October 2022 Publication History

Abstract

Social Virtual Reality (VR) is growing for remote socialization and collaboration. However, current social VR applications are not accessible to people with visual impairments (PVI) due to their focus on visual experiences. We aim to facilitate social VR accessibility by enhancing PVI’s peripheral awareness of surrounding avatar dynamics. We designed VRBubble, an audio-based VR technique that provides surrounding avatar information based on social distances. Based on Hall’s proxemic theory, VRBubble divides the social space with three Bubbles—Intimate, Conversation, and Social Bubble—generating spatial audio feedback to distinguish avatars in different bubbles and provide suitable avatar information. We provide three audio alternatives: earcons, verbal notifications, and real-world sound effects. PVI can select and combine their preferred feedback alternatives for different avatars, bubbles, and social contexts. We evaluated VRBubble and an audio beacon baseline with 12 PVI in a navigation and a conversation context. We found that VRBubble significantly enhanced participants’ avatar awareness during navigation and enabled avatar identification in both contexts. However, VRBubble was shown to be more distracting in crowded environments.

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Cited By

Lança DPiçarra MGonçalves IOh URodrigues AGuerreiro J(2024)Speed-of-Light VR for Blind People: Conveying the Location of Arm-Reach TargetsProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3688533(1-5)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3688533
Collins JNicholson KKhadir YStevenson Won AAzenkot S(2024)An AI Guide to Enhance Accessibility of Social Virtual Reality for Blind PeopleProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3688498(1-5)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3688498
Jung CCollins JGonzalez Penuela RSegal JWon AAzenkot S(2024)Accessible Nonverbal Cues to Support Conversations in VR for Blind and Low Vision PeopleProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3675663(1-13)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3675663
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Index Terms

VRBubble: Enhancing Peripheral Awareness of Avatars for People with Visual Impairments in Social Virtual Reality
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Accessibility
    1. Accessibility technologies
  2. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Interaction paradigms
      1. Virtual reality

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cover image ACM Conferences

ASSETS '22: Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

October 2022

902 pages

ISBN:9781450392587

DOI:10.1145/3517428

Editors:
Jon Froehlich
University of Washington, USA
,
Kristen Shinohara
Rochester Institute of Technology, USA
,
Stephanie Ludi
University of North Texas, USA

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Cited By

Lança DPiçarra MGonçalves IOh URodrigues AGuerreiro J(2024)Speed-of-Light VR for Blind People: Conveying the Location of Arm-Reach TargetsProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3688533(1-5)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3688533
Collins JNicholson KKhadir YStevenson Won AAzenkot S(2024)An AI Guide to Enhance Accessibility of Social Virtual Reality for Blind PeopleProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3688498(1-5)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3688498
Jung CCollins JGonzalez Penuela RSegal JWon AAzenkot S(2024)Accessible Nonverbal Cues to Support Conversations in VR for Blind and Low Vision PeopleProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3675663(1-13)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3675663
Cao XJain D(2024)SoundModVR: Sound Modifications in Virtual Reality to Support People who are Deaf and Hard of HearingProceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3663548.3675653(1-15)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3663548.3675653
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