3D Virtual Shopping Mall : Towards Transformation of levels from 2D to 3D

Sammanfattning: This research examines the effects of using 3D virtual shopping malls and shows the user interaction and experience in this type of virtual environments. Technology developments and the use of the Internet made users to expect more services, which help to improve the user's life. Using a 3D virtual environment and adding a shopping idea to it is considered as very interesting, especially if it reflects the real world in a virtual reality that make its users attached to it. Furthermore, the possibility of having an avatar to represent themselves in computer-mediated virtual environment help users to explore the virtual environment. Another advantage is that users have the possibility to invite friends and to navigate inside a 3D Virtual-shopping mall not alone but together, which gives the user the capability to socialise inside the mall. Besides, changing of the customer's profile and chatting with friends is supported, too. Moreover, the transformation process from a two-dimensional environment to a three-dimensional environment is considered to be convenient for both, customers and mall owners.   I have used phenomenology to investigate this new phenomenon. In addition the data was gathered by interviewing several participants from different educational levels as well as business owners of 3D virtual malls. The research will show the potential of using a 3D virtual shopping mall from the user's perspective as well as from the business' owners and having a 3D virtual shopping mall is not only considered entertaining, but also convenient.   As a future work I recommend to interview the merchants in this research to grasp this idea completely.