Use of Virtual Reality in Participatory Design

Abstract

Virtual Reality technology was used as a visualization tool in a participatory design process of an urban design project in Santiago, Chile. Community members with little or no familiarity with digital technologies visualized the project using traditional means of architectural representation and immersive virtual reality, and then, answered standardized questionnaires on spatial comprehension. Participants who visualized the project using virtual reality showed a higher level of spatial comprehension and a more precise understanding of the formal and spatial qualities of the project than users who used traditional means.