Lessons Learned in Designing Racially Diverse Androgynous Avatars

As virtual reality technology evolves, avatars playa crucial role in user representation, yet options for gender-diverse individuals remain limited. The goal of this research was to develop 14 racially diverse androgynous avatars using the design guidelines recommended in prior work. However, a perceptual experiment involving 68 participants revealed unexpected results, as most avatars were per-ceived as predominantly masculine. Additionally, our results yielded discrepancies in perceived gender across different racial identities, as the same design process resulted in widely varying perceptions. Despite these challenges, our research highlights the importance of continued exploration to improve the creation of inclusive avatars.