Full Thesis
Abstract
The goal of this study was to develop a Virtual Reality (VR) tool to assist researchers in studying Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). The prevalence of SAD has been increasing each year, and by 2023, it affected approximately 5% of the population in the Netherlands. To help prevent this number from rising further, more research is needed in this area. However, the high costs of having a VR environment custom-built by a company often make such research inaccessible.
To address this, a VR tool was created that provides researchers with a customizable environment, featuring easily adjustable settings. A preliminary user study was conducted, informed by related literature, where potential users were asked about the features, implementations, and data collection methods they would find useful. Based on this input, a tool was developed that allows users to modify aspects such as the number of trials, the number and gender of non-playable characters (NPCs), and the NPCs’ facial expressions in a pre-designed environment (a bus setting). The tool automatically collects data during experiments, including movement patterns, gaze direction, interactions with NPCs, seating choices, and more.
The effectiveness of the tool was evaluated through a second user study, in which participants were asked to set up a VR experiment, extract and work with the collected data, and provide feedback via semi-structured interviews. All participants successfully completed the tasks and responded positively, noting the tool's intuitive interface. Several suggestions for additional features were also mentioned during the interviews, which could further enhance the tool's usability.
Overall, the tool met its goal of being an easy-to-use research aid. With further improvements, it has the potential to become a valuable asset in lowering the barrier to conducting research on SAD, making it more accessible to the research community.