ReViSI 2025 Workshop – A Narrative Summary

Introduction: A Space for Dialogue

The first International Workshop on Real and Virtual Spaces Influences (ReViSI), held at IEEE VR 2025, opened in a spirit of curiosity and collaboration. The opening talk set the tone for an afternoon of cross-disciplinary discussion, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of the participants and emphasising the importance of considering the environment when designing virtual applications. The objective of ReViSI is to take into account three interconnected systems when creating XR experiences: the physical environment (e.g., temperature, ambient noise), the user (e.g., identity, background, sensory perception), and the devices used.

ReViSI aimed to address a simple yet profound question: How do real and virtual environments influence one another? This theme guided the workshop, encouraging attendees to think about both how to enhance immersion in XR and how XR experiences can change our perception of the real world. The afternoon included three keynote talks, a panel discussion, and four research paper presentations.

Keynote 1: Tabitha C. Peck – Identity And Embodiment In Virtual Environments

Tabitha Peck, Associate Professor at Davidson College, began her keynote by asking, “Who are you?”. This question framed her talk on how identity shapes experience in virtual spaces. Drawing from her research on avatars, Tabitha explained how a user’s background, psychology, and life experiences can influence their reactions in VR.

She shared early studies using VR pit demos, where responses ranged from calmness to intense fear. These reactions, she argued, reflected participants’ real-life experiences. Tabitha then discussed self-avatars and embodiment, showing that people often behave according to their avatar’s appearance. One notable study involved giving women male avatars during math tests to reduce stereotype threat—a strategy that surprisingly also helped some men. Her takeaway was clear: the way users respond in VR is deeply influenced by their real-world experiences.

She concluded by stressing the complex relationship between avatar design, user identity, and environment. These elements are deeply connected, and XR designers should consider this when developing meaningful and inclusive experiences.

Keynote 2: Tanja Kojic – Designing For Influence: Context And Methodology In Xr

Tanja Kojic, a senior UX researcher at TU Berlin, focused on how system, human, and environmental factors affect user experience in XR. Using examples from studies with Olympic athletes and museum visitors, she showed how small design details—like font size or contrast—can significantly influence perception.

One key insight came from her research on using VR in public spaces. Participants felt uneasy not only because of safety concerns but also due to worries about accidentally disturbing others. Tanja argued that XR needs its own design guidelines rather than relying on traditional UI models.

She also introduced a living document of best practices, developed with industry partners. This resource offers advice on lab and field testing, participant recruitment, and survey design, acknowledging that many existing psychological tools are not well-suited to XR studies.

Keynote 3: Christopher Dawes – Taste, Smell, And Sensory Manipulations In XR

Christopher Dawes from University College London explored how sensory experiences like taste and smell can be manipulated in XR. He presented “Reality Bites”, a project exploring how visual and environmental cues in VR might influence taste perception.

Despite careful design using custom jellies and immersive environments, many effects seen in real life did not translate well to VR. Christopher discussed the difficulties in recreating authentic sensory experiences and stressed the need for interactions in XR to feel natural.

He also shared findings on using scents to influence touch perception. While certain smells made touch feel more realistic, they did not change the perceived texture.

Panel Discussion: Real Meets Virtual – Risks, Ethics, And Replicability

The panel brought together all three keynote speakers to address questions from the organisers and the audience. Ethical concerns quickly emerged. Tabitha warned that avatar-based interventions could unintentionally reinforce stereotypes. Tanja discussed the challenge of moderating behaviour in open XR environments. Christopher spoke about how sensory design might lead to unwanted or exaggerated effects.

Audience members raised issues about ecological validity and reproducibility. The speakers agreed on the need for cross-cultural research and inclusive participant recruitment. Tanja suggested recruiting through public settings to reach more diverse groups. Tabitha emphasised the value of publishing studies with null results.

The panel ended with a creative question: What would you do with unlimited resources? Responses included building global datasets, creating personalised XR experiences, and developing matched physical-virtual labs.

Paper Presentations: Four Perspectives On The Real-Virtual Interface

Waligórski et al. – Digital Dualism in Social XR Jan Waligórski challenged the notion of digital dualism—the separation of physical and virtual spaces—arguing that it limits understanding of their mutual influence. He emphasised the need for new frameworks that view these environments as interconnected, which is crucial for addressing social inequalities in social VR and enhancing accessibility.

Nöring et al. – XR Firefighting Training with COTS Devices This presentation showcased a low-cost XR training tool for firefighters using Meta Quest 3 and simple physical props. Although there were technical challenges, the prototype proved that budget-friendly XR can still be effective if designed with user feedback in mind.

Furuya et al. – Effects of Presence on Trust This paper discussed how presence influences trust in virtual agents. The team highlighted the importance of combining sensory feedback and real-world experiences to increase the realism of VR trust studies.

Khan et al. – Navigation Skills from Virtual to Physical Space The final presentation showed that training in realistic virtual environments can improve real-world navigation. The findings support the potential of XR for transferable learning, especially when virtual spaces closely match real architecture.

Conclusion: Toward a Real-Virtual Synergy

ReViSI 2025 concluded with a sense of shared purpose. It brought together researchers and professionals from different disciplines to explore how virtual and physical experiences influence one another. Key themes included inclusion, ethics, sensory design, and rigorous methods.

As participants posed for a group photo, the atmosphere was both reflective and hopeful. ReViSI didn’t just discuss the interaction between real and virtual spaces—it demonstrated the value of collaborative exploration. The organisers hope to build a lasting community and hold a follow-up workshop next year.