Behavior Setting Map: guiding content design for real-world VR applications

Virtual Reality (VR) applications based on real-world contexts, such as training, healthcare, and entertainment, rely on varying degrees of replication of real settings. However, there is a lack of systematic design support for determining which elements of a setting to retain or modify. We propose Behavior Setting Map (BSM), a contextual analysis tool to help VR designers understand and transform real-world settings into virtual ones. In a two-stage study, we piloted and iterated BSM with 30 student designers and 24 individuals in the early stages of content design for real-world VR applications. The evaluation results provide empirical insights into participants’ perceptions of BSM, suggesting that the tool was perceived as easy to use and useful in supporting early-stage VR content design through a structured, guided, and visualized approach, accommodating designers with varying levels of experience. Additionally, we discuss the design opportunities and potentials of BSM in a wide range of Extended Reality applications.