Evaluation of a Multi-User Virtual Reality System for Collaborative Layout Planning Processes

Sammanfattning: This paper discusses the application of a tool for experiencing the usage of Virtual Reality (VR) in the factory layout planning process of Scania. The goal is to evaluate the system's collaborative capabilities and to assess the usability. The study combines existing methodologies in a novel way. The method consists of recording 16 participants in performing a collaborative task, and then coding for Collaborative Joint attention (CJA). Furthermore the evaluation makes use of the System Usability Scale (SUS) and Nielsen's Heuristics. The system's score on the SUS appeared to be above average, but participants with higher experience in factory planning gave higher scores. There were numerous problems related to the physical room being smaller than the virtual room, user control was limited and the embodiment of the users (avatars) proved to be distracting. The findings have implications for builders and evaluators of multiparty VR systems, that allow for collaboration. The evaluators need to consider including CJA as one of their dependent variables.