The usability testing of VR interface for tourism apps

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) is considered to be an emerging technology. This study compared the usability differences of VR travel software, such as Google Street View, VeeR VR, and Sites in VR, for mobile phones. In the pilot study, three post-graduate students and one interface expert were invited to participate in the designed experimental tasks to provide opinions on the first draft of the questionnaire. Next, thirty college students were recruited to join the formal experiment. After operating the VR interface, they were asked to fill out the questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview was conducted. The results are described as follows: (1) Intuitive operation is required to allow people to select objects smoothly; (2) the chosen object requires a feedback mode to inform the user that the object has been selected; (3) the speed of the feedback mode should be adjustable to fulfil the needs of most people; (4) the contrast of icon color needs to be improved to ensure the most efficient verification of the operations; and (5) a search button or reminder function can be added to aid first-time users.