Virtual body in immersive virtual reality and its influence on creativity

Abstract

The relationship between the design process, its multiple stages, and how different design mediums affect this process continues to be a topic for research and exploration. The selection of different design tools is done according to the characteristics of the multiple stages within this process. Multiple studies have argued that digital media tools are still incapable of supporting idea development in conceptual stages, but digital mediums have evolved, and digital tools are present in the design process from the beginning to the end. Current digital mediums can provide immersive characteristics in virtual environments that increase the user's sense of presence and embodiment, affecting cognition. Thus, there was a critical need to evaluate and explore how new digital media with multiple levels of embodiment can affect creativity and learning outcomes in conceptual ideation stages of the design process.

In addition to presence and embodiment, creativity and spatial abilities are crucial elements for designers. The primary objective of this study was to assess creativity and spatial abilities, examining three different levels of embodiment (first-person online virtual body [VB], first-person offline VB, and third-person online VB). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions and were required to solve a design task. Pre and post-test questionnaires were used to collect data in addition to a psychophysiological device to account for cognitive load. Spatial skills were assessed before and after the intervention, and the designed outcomes were evaluated to measure the level of creativity. The central hypothesis was that the higher the sense of embodiment (SoE), the greater the presence and lower the cognitive demand of the system, which can be used to improve spatial abilities and stimulate creativity.

This study explored how creativity of the designed outcomes and spatial abilities were affected by different levels of embodiment. This study provides relevant information on how VR environments positively affect the development of spatial abilities. Also, the findings facilitate discernment in how different VR setups affect cognitive load on participants, which may ultimately affect cognition and creative thinking.