Invite to Participate in a VR User Study: Influence of Virtual Reality Avatar Hand Representation on Task Performance
Invite to Participate in a VR User Study
Influence of Virtual Reality Avatar Hand Representation on Task Performance
We are conducting a user study to investigate avatars in virtual environments. An avatar is a computer-generated representation of the user.
If you decide to participate, you will be wearing a VR headset and you will be playing a virtual memory game. You will be asked to provide basic demographic info and to answer questions about your experience. Your involvement will not exceed 60 minutes and you will compensated with a $40 gift card for your time.
Inclusion/exclusion criteria:
*Participants should be between the ages of 18 and 35, or 65 and above.
*Participants should not be color blind
*Participants should have normal or corrected-to-normal vision
*Participants should be able to sit and press buttons with their hands on a board game.
*Please refer to the handset manufacturer's Health and Safety Information below.
If you are interested in participating contact researcher Zirui Zhang, zhan4192@purdue.edu
IRB#2025-778
RESEARCH PARTICIPANT CONSENT
Influence of Virtual Reality Avatar Hand Representation on Task Performance Voicu Popescu
Computer Science Purdue University
Purdue University
Key Information
You are being asked to participate in this research study because you:
- Have an age either between 18 and 35, or 65 and
- Have normal or corrected-to-normal
- You are not color-
- Are able to sit and press a button with your hand on a board game on a table in front of you.
- You have read the headset manufacturer Health and Safety Information brochure and have decided to participate.
Your participation is voluntary which means that you may choose not to participate or leave the study at any time.
The purpose of this research is to improve understanding of virtual self-avatars. An avatar is a computer generated representation of the user.
This study will last up to 60 minutes. During the experiment you will be asked to sit a table and play a memory game wearing a virtual reality headset. Colored buttons will light up and you will be asked to try to remember and then touch the buttons in the same order that you just saw.
Taking part in this research has similar risks to playing a video game on a TV. These risks include cybersickness, a set of symptoms similar to motion sickness that can be induced when riding in a car or bus.
Benefits to you include learning more about virtual reality technology and participating in scientific research to support the development of virtual reality technology.
Please read this form carefully and ask the researchers to explain anything you do not understand before you agree to be in the study.
What is the study about?
The study involves research. In this study we will investigate how people play a memory game in virtual reality. Specifically, you will play a game called Simon. The Simon board has four colored lights. The lights will light up in an order and you will be asked, to the best of your recollection, to press the colored lights in the same order. For example, if the board shows red, yellow, red, then you should press the red, yellow, and red buttons. The sequences grow longer and longer until you cannot remember the exact sequence of colors.
We will collect the following data: demographic information, the game performance data, that is how long were the sequences that you remembered, your interaction with the VR game, that is the position and orientation of your hands and of your head, a textual transcription of what you say as you play the game, your answers to questionnaires that measure cybersickness, task load, system usability, sense of presence in the virtual environment, and your subjective opinion on the VR experience. We will not record audio (your voice) or video. No identifying information will be connected to your data.
Although we are including this description of the general nature of the study, some research requires that the full purpose of the study not be explained before you participate. We will give you a full explanation at the end of the study in a debriefing form.
What will I do if I choose to be in this study?
You will be asked to:
- Put on a VR
- Practice playing the memory game in VR until you are comfortable with how to play
- Play the memory game in virtual reality for up to 12 minutes
- You will then remove the headset, complete a short questionnaire on a tablet, and take a 5 minute break.
- You will then complete one more round of the memory game for up to 12 minutes
- You will then be asked to remove the VR headset and to complete questionnaires on a tablet.
We will collect the following data recorded directly through the headset:
- Your head position and orientation over time
- Your hands position and orientation over time
- What button you press and when
- The sequence you are provided and the sequence you provide in response
- A text transcription of what you say and when, while playing the game. We will collect your answers to questionnaires using a tablet:
- Avatar Embodiment Questionnaire
- Cybersickness questionnaire
- Task load questionnaire
- System usability questionnaire
- VR presence questionnaire
- User experience questionnaire
- Demographics information questionnaire
The procedures described are being done for research purposes.
How long will I be in the study?
Your participation implies a total time commitment of 60 minutes, in a single session
Please consider the risks of taking part in this study before you decide to participate.
Breach of confidentiality is always a risk with data, but we will take precautions to minimize this risk as described in another section.
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Possible risk(s) |
How we’re minimizing these risks |
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You might experience cybersickness, i.e., a motion sickness like set of symptoms caused by the VR experience. |
You will be seated at all times, which minimizes the risk of cybersickness. There are only two periods of VR exposure of up to 12 min each, and you will get a 5 min break in between them, which minimizes the risk of cybersickness. You are asked to discontinue participation at the onset of any cybersickness symptoms, which minimizes the risk of the onset of moderate or severe cybersickness symptoms. You will be compensated in full should cybersickness prevent you from completing the study. |
Are there any benefits?
You may have the benefit of exposure to VR technology, a novel and promising technology that is in the process of becoming mass deployed.
A possible benefit to society is a faster and more accurate validation of future VR technology and applications, with benefits to all domains where VR is used, including in education, defense, engineering, healthcare, and entertainment
How will the researchers protect my information?
We do not collect or store research data identifiers or identifiable information. In other words, after the study, there will be no way of identifying you as the source of the data you are contributing. We are storing the research data on Box, a secure Purdue server.
Who will see the information collected in this research?
Efforts will be made to limit the use and disclosure of your personal information, including research study records, to people who have a need to review this information. We cannot promise complete secrecy.
There are reasons why information about you may be used or seen by other people beyond the research team during or after this study. Examples include:
- Purdue University departments responsible for regulatory and research oversight, the US DHHS Office for Human Research Protections, the National Science Foundation.
- Collaborating researchers at other institutions who are involved with this
There will be no identifiable research records, data, specimens, etc., collected for this research.
The data will be stored on Purdue’s Box server for future research until the study will be closed. The researchers are the only ones who will have access to the data.
Will I receive payment or other incentive?
Yes, you will receive a $40 gift card as compensation for your time spent participating in the study. The gift card will be provided via email no later than four weeks after participation. You will receive full compensation even if you have to stop participation due to the onset of cybersickness symptoms.
Are there costs to me for participation?
If you choose to participate in this study, there may be costs to you including travel and parking costs.
What are my rights as a research participant in this study?
Research studies include only people who choose to take part. You can tell us that you don’t want to be in this study. You can start the study and then choose to stop the study later. This will not affect your relationship with the investigator.
How might the information collected in this study be shared in the future?
We will keep the information we collect about you during this research study for study recordkeeping and for potential use in future research projects.
De-identified data from this study may be shared with the research community, with journals in which study results are published, and with databases and data repositories used for research.
The results of this study could be shared in articles and presentations but will not include any information that identifies you unless you give permission for use of information that identifies you in articles and presentations.
Who can I contact if I have questions about the study?
If you have questions, comments or concerns about this research project, you can talk to one of the researchers. Please contact PI Voicu Popescu via email at popescu@purdue.edu or PI Tabitha Peck at tapeck@davidson.edu.
To report anonymously via Purdue’s Hotline, see www.purdue.edu/hotline
If you have questions about your rights while taking part in the study or have concerns about the treatment of research participants, please call the Human Research Protection Program at (765) 494-5942, email (irb@purdue.edu) or write to:
Human Research Protection Program Seng Liang Wang Hall
516 Northwestern Ave, 4th Floor West Lafayette, IN 47906
Consent
By signing this consent form, I confirm I have read the information in this consent form and have had the opportunity to ask questions. I will be given a signed copy of this consent form. I voluntarily agree to take part in this study.
Printed Name of Participant
Signature of Participant Date
Printed Name of Person Obtaining Consent
Signature of Person Obtaining Consent Date