1st Edition
Virtual Reality Experience Design Handbook Heuristics, Patterns, and Practices for Immersive Applications
Foreword
Preface
List of Contributors
Organization of the Book
Grzegorz Zwoliński
Introduction to VR Design. Historical Milestones in VR Design
Marta Kuźmicz and Dorota Kamińska
Part I — Foundations of Presence
Chapter 1. Visual Perception & Presence Foundations
Mário Vairinhos, Silvino Martins, Rui Raposo, and Pedro Reisinho
Chapter 2. Gestalt & Spatial Composition
Rocío Cifuentes-Albeza and Francisco-Julián Martínez-Cano
Chapter 3. Scenography, Scale & Lighting in VR
Francisco-Julián Martínez-Cano and Rocío Cifuentes-Albeza
Chapter 4. Spatial Audio for VR
Rui Raposo, Mário Vairinhos, Pedro Reisinho, and Silvino Martins
Part II — Interaction, Locomotion, and UI
Chapter 5. Interaction Modes
Iñigo Cuiñas
Chapter 6. Locomotion & Comfort
Grzegorz Zwoliński
Chapter 7. Animation & Motion in VR
Mário Vairinhos, Silvino Martins, Rui Raposo, Pedro Reisinho, and Cátia Silva
Chapter 8. UI in VR: Diegetic and World-Locked Interfaces
Agnieszka Dubiel
Part III — Narrative, Social, Ethics, Accessibility
Chapter 9. Narrative and Storytelling in Virtual Reality
María Cerdeira González
Chapter 10. Social Virtual Reality
Manuel Caeiro Rodríguez
Chapter 11. Ethics & Sustainability
Itziar Goicoechea
Chapter 12. Accessibility & Inclusive Design
Tatiana Santos Gonçalves
Part IV — Heuristics, Performance, and Validation
Chapter 13. VR Heuristics
Grzegorz Zwoliński
Chapter 14. Performance & Optimization
Grzegorz Zwoliński
Chapter 15. Usability Testing and Iterative Development in VR - Methods for conducting usability testing in VR
Anna Laska Leśniewicz and Dorota Kamińska
Chapter 16. Design Translation Patterns for Virtual Reality
Grzegorz Zwoliński
Biography
Rocío Cifuentes-Albeza
Ph.D. Associate Professor of Audiovisual Communication and Advertising at Miguel Hernández University (UMH), Spain. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (1999) and was awarded the Extraordinary Doctorate Award (UMH) in 2017. Since 2002, she has been a member of the faculty, teaching across the Bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts, Audiovisual Communication, and Journalism. Associate Dean of the BA degree program in Audiovisual Communication at UMH (2019-2023).
Iñigo Cuiñas
Ph.D. Professor and the Head of the Department of Signal Theory and Communications at the University of Vigo. He teaches courses on Remote Sensing and the Social Links of Engineering at the School of Telecommunication Engineering. Besides, he is involved in promoting Design Thinking methodology among lecturers at different Universities, by means of workshops and speeches. He has joined or led different Erasmus+ projects focused on Design Thinking, soft skills, virtual reality in education, Engineering for Peace, outdoor learning activities and other social and/or transversal issues.
Itziar Goicoechea
Ph.D. Associate Professor of Project Management in the Department of Engineering Design at Vigo University, Spain. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering specializing in Enterprise Organization from the School of Engineering at the University of Vigo (1996) and earned his Ph.D. degree from the same institution in 2006. Additionally, she has a Master´s in Language and Communication in Business and is a member of the Spanish Association of Project Engineering (AEIPRO). She has extensive expertise in project management, with over 15 years of experience in this field in private companies in the automotive industry and construction industries. Her specialties include predictive and agile methodologies in project management as well as design thinking methodology.
Dorota Kamińska
Ph.D. Associate Professor and researcher at the Institute of Mechatronics and Information Systems, Lodz University of Technology and founder of the Voxel Research Lab. Her work focuses on virtual and augmented reality, human–computer interaction, and AI-supported learning, with particular interest in well-being, accessibility, and immersive technologies in education and healthcare.
Francisco-Julián Martínez-Cano
Ph.D. serves as a Professor of Audiovisual Direction and Production and Associate Dean of the BA degree program in Audiovisual Communication at Miguel Hernández University, Spain. He has been the recipient of several research fellowships and awards, including the José Castillejo Research Grant from the Spanish Ministry of Universities (2022) and Eng. Fernando Gonçalves Lavrador’s Honourable Mention for Best Research Paper at the Avanca Cinema International Conference (2020). He directs the OCAP research group, the Audiovisual Communication and Advertising Observatory at UMH. His research explores the intersection of virtual and augmented reality, AI, cinema, and video games by analysing the effects and interconnectedness of immersive experiences within prosocial VR, gaming, and narrative structures.
Rui Raposo
Ph.D. Rui Raposo is an Associate Professor, in the field of Science and Communication Technologies, at the Department of Communication and Art from the University of Aveiro. His current research interests focus on issues related to the use of Extended Reality technologies and experiences (VR, AR, MR and XR) in various contexts of use such as: well-being, e-tourism, and cybermuseology. He also teaches, researches and supervises activities in the field of audiovisual content production.
Mario Vairinhos
Phd. D. Associate Professor and researcher in the area of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Extended Reality. He is an integrated member of DigiMedia - Digital Media and Interaction at the University of Aveiro. He is the coordinator of the Research Group in Immersive Play at the host institution of DigiMedia. He is the Co-Director of the Master’s in Digital Game Development at the University of Aveiro.
Grzegorz Zwoliński
PhD and researcher at the Institute of Mechatronics and Information Systems, Lodz University of Technology. His research focuses on virtual and augmented reality, immersive systems, interaction design, and usability, with applications in education, training, and simulation-based environments supporting user-centered development of VR technologies.
