Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environments
Human-computer interaction (HCI) theory suggests that we should minimize interaction delays and reduce target selection difficulty to optimise performance. However, in learning scenarios, delays have been shown to cause ‘forced learning’ and difficulty can be an intrinsic motivator. Any interplay be...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Computers & Education: X Reality |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294967802500011X |
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| _version_ | 1849687004209479680 |
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| author | Sara Khorasani Stephain Hsu Rui Guan Jorge Goncalves Andrew Irlitti Jarrod Knibbe Eduardo Velloso |
| author_facet | Sara Khorasani Stephain Hsu Rui Guan Jorge Goncalves Andrew Irlitti Jarrod Knibbe Eduardo Velloso |
| author_sort | Sara Khorasani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Human-computer interaction (HCI) theory suggests that we should minimize interaction delays and reduce target selection difficulty to optimise performance. However, in learning scenarios, delays have been shown to cause ‘forced learning’ and difficulty can be an intrinsic motivator. Any interplay between delays, forced learning, difficulty, and the embodied, immersive explo-ration style of virtual reality (VR) remains poorly understood. We study the impact of delay and target selection difficulty on learning outcomes in VR. Using a VR makerspace training module with a 2x2 factorial, mixed-methods approach, we analyze the learning data from 124 participants who interacted with either a 5-s or zero delay post target selection, and Easy versus Hard target selection difficulties. The findings reveal that incorporating a 5-s delay post-interaction led to superior learning outcomes, providing users with more time to process and rehearse information. In contrast, altering the target selection difficulty showed negligible effects on learning outcomes, with participants reporting a simultaneous increase in engagement and distraction from the learning content. This research challenges conventional HCI theories within a VR context, suggesting potential educational benefits from strategically incorporated interaction delays. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-40dd1d203fba4461ba4c84460a5b9501 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2949-6780 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Computers & Education: X Reality |
| spelling | doaj-art-40dd1d203fba4461ba4c84460a5b95012025-08-20T03:22:30ZengElsevierComputers & Education: X Reality2949-67802025-12-01710010310.1016/j.cexr.2025.100103Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environmentsSara Khorasani0Stephain Hsu1Rui Guan2Jorge Goncalves3Andrew Irlitti4Jarrod Knibbe5Eduardo Velloso6University of Melbourne, Australia; Corresponding author.University of Melbourne, AustraliaMonash University, AustraliaThe University of Queensland, AustraliaUniversity of Melbourne, AustraliaThe University of Queensland, AustraliaUniversity of Sydney, AustraliaHuman-computer interaction (HCI) theory suggests that we should minimize interaction delays and reduce target selection difficulty to optimise performance. However, in learning scenarios, delays have been shown to cause ‘forced learning’ and difficulty can be an intrinsic motivator. Any interplay between delays, forced learning, difficulty, and the embodied, immersive explo-ration style of virtual reality (VR) remains poorly understood. We study the impact of delay and target selection difficulty on learning outcomes in VR. Using a VR makerspace training module with a 2x2 factorial, mixed-methods approach, we analyze the learning data from 124 participants who interacted with either a 5-s or zero delay post target selection, and Easy versus Hard target selection difficulties. The findings reveal that incorporating a 5-s delay post-interaction led to superior learning outcomes, providing users with more time to process and rehearse information. In contrast, altering the target selection difficulty showed negligible effects on learning outcomes, with participants reporting a simultaneous increase in engagement and distraction from the learning content. This research challenges conventional HCI theories within a VR context, suggesting potential educational benefits from strategically incorporated interaction delays.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294967802500011XVirtual reality embodied learning VR learningVR education VR trainingInteraction techniques target selection difficulty interaction delay makerspace |
| spellingShingle | Sara Khorasani Stephain Hsu Rui Guan Jorge Goncalves Andrew Irlitti Jarrod Knibbe Eduardo Velloso Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environments Computers & Education: X Reality Virtual reality embodied learning VR learning VR education VR training Interaction techniques target selection difficulty interaction delay makerspace |
| title | Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environments |
| title_full | Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environments |
| title_fullStr | Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environments |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environments |
| title_short | Pause for success: Harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in VR hands-on learning environments |
| title_sort | pause for success harnessing interaction delay and target selection difficulty in vr hands on learning environments |
| topic | Virtual reality embodied learning VR learning VR education VR training Interaction techniques target selection difficulty interaction delay makerspace |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S294967802500011X |
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