Keywords: Immersive Virtual Environment, User-experience, Eye-Tracking, Built Environment, Virtual Reality (VR) Experiment
Urbanisation leads to the development of high-rise environments, as densification is often
preferred over expansion. This poses risks to the well-being of the users of these areas.
Nowadays, urban studies are more focussed on the relation between human perception and
spatial characteristics, which allow researchers to gain more insight into these relations. This
research aims to explore the interaction between humans and their environment, including
conscious and unconscious processes, within immersive virtual environments (IVEs) using eyetracking technology.
Whilst eye-tracking research traditionally emphasizes participant gaze, this study aims to gain
insight into how individuals perceive their surroundings. The eye-tracking data in a controlled
environment, combined with the more traditional survey questions, could lead to insights on
how the built environment influences user’s emotional states and social behaviours.
Additionally, this research intendsto provide more insights for designing more attractive highrise environments by studying the experience of users of high-rise areas using immersive
virtual reality and eye-tracking technology.
A virtual reality experiment was designed, presenting participants with various models
featuring attributes known to influence user-experience, such as building height and greenery
presence. Thirty-two participants visited three models each, and after each model they were
asked to answer questions on their user-experience. During their visit to each model, data on
their positions, rotations, and interactions of their view with objects of interest were logged
into csv files. These datasets were analysed using MATLAB to create plots and heatmaps.
From the different datasets, it can be concluded that the answers given to the interview and
survey questions correspond to the behaviour shown in the VR experiments. Additionally, the
study explores different methods to eye-tracking observations.
This research contributes to both urban studies and eye-tracking methodology, offering an
approach to quantifying user-experience in high-rise environments. By integrating immersive
virtual reality and eye-tracking with a questionnaire, a comprehensive understanding of user
interactions and preferences can be achieved, informing future urban design strategies aimed
at enhancing user well-being and satisfaction.