Benjamin Weyers

This chapter introduces a user-centered approach to designing persuasive systems that help people change their work-related habits. The proposed development pipeline transforms user insights into formal models, making it possible to create personalized and adaptive interventions. The process starts with collecting data through interviews, where users describe their habits and desired changes. These insights are turned into semi-formal models using “Business Process Model and Notation” (BPMN) models and then refined into formal reference nets, a special type of Petri nets. This approach enables creating adaptable and interchangeable system logic for monitoring behavior and triggering persuasive interventions. To implement the system, we use the Renew simulator, which connects reference nets with Java, allowing real-time interactions with sensors and feedback mechanisms following a given persuasion strategy. A key strength of this framework is its flexibility. It can be customized to different users and easily expanded with new features. The approach is demonstrated with a VR-based prototype and an evaluation study design comparing different ways to deliver persuasive cues in the workplace. The findings have the potential to improve the design of persuasive systems that effectively support behavior change with minimal disruption.

This literature review examines the use of virtual reality in ergonomic risk assessment in workplace design using a rigorous methodology to evaluate literature from seven databases and journals. The review identified 4,377 records, of which nineteen used virtual reality to simulate complex work environments, such as manufacturing floors and office spaces, utilizing motion tracking and risk assessment methods, including the Ergonomic Assessment Worksheet (EAWS) or CUELA (German acronym for Computer-aided recording and long-term analysis of musculoskeletal system loads). The research suggests that integrating virtual reality with established ergonomic assessment methods holds promise for enhancing their efficacy. However, it also highlights the limitations of current virtual reality simulation tools in implementing realistic interactions with the working environment. The importance of this review lies in its capacity to synthesize and structure a previously fragmented field, providing researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive overview of current approaches, challenges, and opportunities in VR-based ergonomic risk assessment. It concludes that virtual reality has high potential but requires further research to fully realize its benefits in designing ergonomic workplaces, conducting thorough ergonomic evaluations, and being integrated into occupational health and safety on a large scale.

Traditional software development workflows, which rely primarily on physical multi-monitor setups, are effective for developing desktop and server-based applications that display output to users via monitors. However, these workflows face limitations in domains such as cyber-physical systems, particularly in robotics, where applications must interact directly with the physical environment. In such domains, digital twins offer an opportunity to visualize and debug these systems within a simulated and realistic environment. In this paper, we present the results of a comparative user study, investigating the use of a digital twin in an extended workspace via a secondary monitor and through Augmented Reality (AR). Participants were instructed to perform debugging tasks on robot control software in a textual programming language using a widely adopted IDE on the primary monitor. This setup was extended by a 3D visualization of a physical robot, shown either in 2D on a secondary monitor or in 3D via AR. In addition to quantitative performance metrics, we also conducted a qualitative analysis to capture subjective user experiences and preferences. While our results indicate a slight performance advantage when using the secondary monitor, we also found that participants took a more systematic, analysis-driven debugging approach using AR.

Interface metaphors are thought to enable an intuitive and effective interaction with a user interface by allowing users to draw on existing knowledge and reducing the need for instructions. This makes metaphors a promising candidate to drive the development of locomotion interfaces for virtual reality (VR). Since creating metaphoric interfaces can be difficult, it is important to analyze how typical locomotion metaphors can support an intuitive interaction. We performed a qualitative online study to observe the effect of typical metaphors (Walking, Steering, Flying, and Teleportation) and the influence of perceived affordances and user background. Our analysis shows that users adapt the interface expectations induced by metaphors to fit the perceived affordances instead of changing them. Several interests, the age, education, and gender influenced the expectations regarding the VR locomotion interface. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of users' mental models of VR locomotion metaphors, which seem necessary for designing more intuitive locomotion.