Visual Indication of Interactive 3D Elements in 3D Virtual Environments

In this paper we present the user evaluation results on the indication of interactive three dimensional elements in a virtual environment. The evaluation was conducted with a functional prototype and additional high quality images that were printed on paper sheets. The evaluation indicated that without any visual indication provided in the prototype, participants were not sure which items in the office scene are interactable when they enter to the scene. Also the indication while a user is interacting with the prototype, needs to be distinctive enough. For the visual indication of interactable elements in the virtual environment, participants preferred a glow effect in both circumstances; 1st while they enter to the virtual environment and 2nd while they are interacting with the elements. This information is useful to HCI researchers, 3D UI designers and developers to improve user experiences with virtual environments.