Glossary

Accuracy is generally more important when trying to hit a target; it is the degree of closeness to the true value; freedom from mistake or error.

See Precision

Affordances are properties of objects which show users the actions they can take. Users should be able to perceive affordances without having to consider how to use the items. For instance, a button can be designed to look as if it needs to be turned or pushed.

See Signifiers

Refers to the virtual representation of a player, being oneself (personal avatar) or another player online (social avatars).

Refers to animated objects which belong to the narrative and are not other players or yourself, e.g. ghosts, talking robots, whoever is a non-player character (NPC) and behaves as a scripted persona

While video subtitles are intended for viewers who can’t understand the language being spoken, captions are intended for viewers who can’t hear the audio.

Committing is when the user makes their decision. When your finger moves towards a specific elevator button and hovers, you are selecting. When you press that button, you are committing.

A constraint is a limitation or restriction. Good design demands proper communication of limitations and restrictions. Visual representation for out of bounds, e.g. the guardian.

Flow state, in positive psychology, can also known colloquially as being in the zone. It is the mental state in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in one's sense of time.

For the purposes of this test, haptics refers to the vibrational feedback and vibration effects that come from one or both of the controllers. It does not refer to gestures, body movement, sound effects, button presses, or any other type of input or game action. It only refers to the clicks, ticks, buzzes, rumbles, and other effects you may feel when the controller vibrates.

Here are some examples for spatial references:

Diegetic, meaning the character and player would see (or feel) the effect:

• Steering wheel vibration

• Ball hitting a bat

• Weapon recoil

• Diegetic Interface feedback (e.g. A 3D level control vibrating for each step in the range)

Non-diegetic

• Haptic indicators used to warn the player of nearing their physical boundary

• Non-diegetic Interface feedback ( e.g. A 2D slider control (i.e. flat settings menu) vibrating for each step in the range)

Spatial

• Haptic indicators used to direct the player's attention

• Haptic effects that are synchronized to spatial effects in another modality (visual or audio)

Meta

• Vibrations that alert you that the software has crashed

• Haptic effects that indicate that your controllers have low battery

• Haptic alerts that indicate a screen time timer has run out (i.e., the timer is not associated with the game, but with the platform itself)

For the purposes of this expert evaluation, input device refers to the bimanual, standard VR controllers that ship with the VR systems. Input devices refers to the hardware (eg. controllers) used to interact with and control the virtual environment. Our expert evaluation does not use any other external devices.

See also: Tracked hand

For the purposes of this test, interface is defined as an interactive component or arrangement of interactive component(s) designed to transfer user intention across the boundaries of virtual systems. We use interfaces exclusively for virtual systems. For physical components that have this functionality, we use input devices.

For example, in a virtual driving application, the user may use a VR controller as an input device. Within the virtual world, the cockpit of the virtual car provides an interface to the car: steering wheel, gauges, and so on.

In contrast, in a virtual skiing application, the user may use a VR controller as an input device, but may not encounter an interface and may instead control gameplay with gestures that have a direct effect on her in-world persona.

A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question. The difference to a fact is that it is "given" to someone, perceived.

An object or aspect known through the senses rather than by thought or intuition.

Precision is the degree of refinement with which an operation is performed or a measurement stated; you can only be as precise as your least precise measurement.

See Accuracy

Selection is when the user indicates their intent. When your finger moves towards a specific elevator button and hovers, you are selecting. When you press that button, you are committing.

Shaders are a technical term for manipulating the look of an object created in 3D. They can change color, texture, tone, animate and even appear to distort geometry.

Signifiers are aspects of an object that a designer uses to indicate potential and intended affordances of an object. For example, a teacup with no handle affords the ability to lift it and drink out of it. But designers and potters often add handles to signify that users can and should lift up the object and take a sip. The handle is an example of a common user experience pattern.

See Affordances

While video subtitles are intended for viewers who can’t understand the language being spoken, captions are intended for viewers who can’t hear the audio.

The viewport is the virtual perspective or "window on the (virtual) world" from inside the headset.

• World reference – The object is anchored to a location in the virtual world space. In other words, the XYZ coordinates that correspond to its position do not change depending on the location or orientation of the player.

• Torso reference – The item is anchored to the player's torso. This means that the object moves according to the movement of the player's torso, as the torso rotates and or translates so does the object.

• Head reference – The item is anchored to the player's head. This means that the object moves according to the movement of the player's head, as the head rotates and or translates so does the object.

• Hand/wrist reference – The item is anchored to the player's hand/wrist. This means that the object moves according to the movement of the player's hand/wrist, as the hand/wrist rotates and or translates so does the object.