This project explores paths toward creating virtual environments supportive of social interactions between diverse cultures or sub-cultures. Such environments may be designed to foster intercultural learning, create transactional spaces to experiment with collaboration and/or shared activities involving different cultural backgrounds, resolve communication challenges or simulate new behaviors in multi-cultural contexts.
Investigative trails of this project explore:
• Innovative design approaches to socially enhancing user experience in social extended reality
experiences.
• Design of culturally meaningful content and activities to facilitate and strengthen social
interactions in virtual environments.
• Design of culturally meaningful activities and to develop and expand understanding of
intercultural interactions.
• Inclusive design strategies to address cultural, social, and physical accessibility barriers
in virtual environments, such as digital twins.
• Technological and economic barriers to access to extended reality technology.
Keywords
Cultural diversity, systemic design, virtual reality, augmented reality
Advising Team
The reference videos below serve as inspiration for potential research trails that students can explore.
CrashingPhoenixFinalWalkthrough.mp4
Viva Havana! - By JustUs.mp4
CubaAndFriends-final.mp4
Articles https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812020460