Julia Paluch

Wiesław Kopeć, Krzysztof Kalinowski, Monika Kornacka et al.

In this article we report a case study of a Language Learning Bauhaus VR hackathon with Goethe Institute. It was organized as an educational and research project to tap into the dynamics of transdisciplinary teams challenged with a specific requirement. In our case, it was to build a Bauhaus-themed German Language Learning VR App. We constructed this experiment to simulate how representatives of different disciplines may work together towards a very specific purpose under time pressure. So, each participating team consisted of members of various expert-fields: software development (Unity or Unreal), design, psychology and linguistics. The results of this study cast light on the recommended cycle of design thinking and customer-centered design in VR. Especially in interdisciplinary rapid prototyping conditions, where stakeholders initially do not share competences. They also showcase educational benefits of working in transdisciplinary environments. This study, combined with our previous work on human factors in rapid software development and co-design, including hackathon dynamics, allowed us to formulate recommendations for organizing content creation VR hackathons for specific purposes. We also provide guidelines on how to prepare the participants to work in rapid prototyping VR environments and benefit from such experiences in the long term.

Wiesław Kopeć, Jarosław Kowalski, Julia Paluch et al.

In this exploratory study, we examine the possibilities of non-invasive Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) in the context of Smart Home Technology (SHT) targeted at older adults. During two workshops, one stationary, and one online via Zoom, we researched the insights of the end users concerning the potential of the BCI in the SHT setting. We explored its advantages and drawbacks, and the features older adults see as vital as well as the ones that they would benefit from. Apart from evaluating the participants' perception of such devices during the two workshops we also analyzed some key considerations resulting from the insights gathered during the workshops, such as potential barriers, ways to mitigate them, strengths and opportunities connected to BCI. These may be useful for designing BCI interaction paradigms and pinpointing areas of interest to pursue in further studies.

Kinga Skorupska, Daniel Cnotkowski, Julia Paluch et al.

A significant problem with immersive virtual reality (IVR) experiments is the ability to compare research conditions. VR kits and IVR environments are complex and diverse but researchers from different fields, e.g. ICT, psychology, or marketing, often neglect to describe them with a level of detail sufficient to situate their research on the IVR landscape. Careful reporting of these conditions may increase the applicability of research results and their impact on the shared body of knowledge on HCI and IVR. Based on literature review, our experience, practice and a synthesis of key IVR factors, in this article we present a reference checklist for describing research conditions of IVR experiments. Including these in publications will contribute to the comparability of IVR research and help other researchers decide to what extent reported results are relevant to their own research goals. The compiled checklist is a ready-to-use reference tool and takes into account key hardware, software and human factors as well as diverse factors connected to visual, audio, tactile, and other aspects of interaction.