Virtual reality crowd simulation: effects of agent density on user experience and behaviour

Dickinson, Patrick; Gerling, Kathrin; Hicks, Kieran; Murray, John; Shearer, John; Greenwood, Jacob

Abstract

Agent-based crowd simulations are used for modelling building and space usage, allowing designers to explore hypothetical real-world scenarios, including extraordinary events such as evacuations. Existing work which engages virtual reality (VR) as a platform for crowd simulations has been primarily focussed on the validation of simulation models through observation; the use of interactions such as gaze to enhance a sense of immersion; or studies of proxemics. In this work, we extend previous studies of proxemics and examine the effects of varying crowd density on user experience and behaviour. We have created a simulation in which participants walk freely and perform a routine manual task, whilst interacting with agents controlled by a typical social force simulation model. We examine and report the effects of crowd density on both affective state and behaviour. Our results show a significant increase in negative affect with density, measured using a self-report scale. We further show significant differences in some aspects of user behaviours, using video analysis, and discuss how our results relate to VR simulation design for mixed human–agent scenarios.

Citation

Dickinson, P., Gerling, K., Hicks, K., Murray, J., Shearer, J., & Greenwood, J. (2019). Virtual reality crowd simulation: effects of agent density on user experience and behaviour. Virtualreality : the journal of the Virtual Reality Society, 23(1), 19-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0365-0

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 13, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Sep 21, 2018
• Publication Date: 2019-03
• Deposit Date: Oct 25, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 26, 2018
• Journal: Virtual Reality
• Print ISSN: 1359-4338
• Electronic ISSN: 1434-9957
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 19-32
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0365-0
• Keywords: Human-Computer Interaction; Software; Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design; Crowd stimulation; User experience; Agent density
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/1130537
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10055-018-0365-0