Embodying Empathy: Inclusive Virtual Reality for Extreme User Experience

This dissertation aims to explore the potential of Virtual Embodiment (VE) through Virtual Reality (VR) interfaces to elicit empathetic responses towards Extreme Users who require specialised forms of interaction due to severely restricted mobility. The interface design was inspired by two key users, one in Ireland and one in South Korea, both living with Severe Acquired Brain Injury (SABI) and Locked-in Syndrome. The thesis adopts a dual approach, integrating Inclusive Design Practice (IDP) with the theory of VE to establish a comprehensive understanding of Inclusive Virtual Reality. The first phase uses IDP to explore how Extreme Users interact with and control their avatars in a VR environment using a Head-Mounted Display (HMD) with Alternative Access Control (AAC). This practice-based component involves developing three demonstration interfaces, each evaluating the feasibility of AAC in enabling avatar-mediated interactions within Social VR settings. Through this exploratory work, the research identifies nine cognitive heuristics, underpinning the emergent theme of embodying empathy. The second phase involves a comparative user experiment based on the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) framework to investigate user experience. This study focuses on measuring the impact of four avatar types with varying mobility challenges. Using a structured questionnaire consisting of 40 items such as body representation, sense of agency, sense of presence, engagement, and empathy, the research adopts a between-groups design involving 40 participants from a VR community in South Korea. Empirical data analysis demonstrates that VE facilitates empathetic changes. This research contributes novel insights into the relatively underexplored domain of empathy elicitation for Extreme Users through VE. It offers actionable design strategies for future developers and designers aiming to create more inclusive VR environments. Finally, the thesis concludes by discussing how the technological affordances of VR could broaden and deepen social engagement for a diverse spectrum of users.