Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and Technostress
With the rise of virtual avatars in professional, educational, and recreational settings, this study investigates how different avatar types—varying in realism, gender, and identity—affect user perceptions of embodiment, acceptability, technostress, privacy, and preferences. Two studies were conduct...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/6/3290 |
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| author | Cristina Gasch Alireza Javanmardi Ameer Khan Azucena Garcia-Palacios Alain Pagani |
| author_facet | Cristina Gasch Alireza Javanmardi Ameer Khan Azucena Garcia-Palacios Alain Pagani |
| author_sort | Cristina Gasch |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the rise of virtual avatars in professional, educational, and recreational settings, this study investigates how different avatar types—varying in realism, gender, and identity—affect user perceptions of embodiment, acceptability, technostress, privacy, and preferences. Two studies were conducted with 42 participants in Study 1 and 40 in Study 2, including professionals and students with varying VR experiences. In Study 1, participants used pre-assigned avatars they could control during interactions. In Study 2, an interviewer used different avatars to interact with participants and assess their impact. Questionnaires and correlation analyses measured embodiment, technostress, privacy, and preference variations across contexts. Results showed that hyper-realistic avatars resembling the user enhanced perceived embodiment and credibility in professional and educational settings, while non-realistic avatars were preferred in recreational contexts, particularly when interacting with strangers. Technostress was generally low, though younger users were more sensitive to avatar appearance, and privacy concerns increased when avatars were controlled by others. Gender differences emerged, with women expressing more concern about appearance and men preferring same-gender avatars in professional environments. These findings highlight the need for VR platform designers to balance realism with user comfort and address privacy concerns to encourage broader adoption in professional and educational applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cd9aa0e3bfaa4b4e807a5a241e2258b7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-cd9aa0e3bfaa4b4e807a5a241e2258b72025-08-20T02:42:41ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-03-01156329010.3390/app15063290Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and TechnostressCristina Gasch0Alireza Javanmardi1Ameer Khan2Azucena Garcia-Palacios3Alain Pagani4Department of Basic and Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, 12006 Castelló de la Plana, SpainGerman Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyGerman Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyDepartment of Basic and Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Universitat Jaume I, 12006 Castelló de la Plana, SpainGerman Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), 67663 Kaiserslautern, GermanyWith the rise of virtual avatars in professional, educational, and recreational settings, this study investigates how different avatar types—varying in realism, gender, and identity—affect user perceptions of embodiment, acceptability, technostress, privacy, and preferences. Two studies were conducted with 42 participants in Study 1 and 40 in Study 2, including professionals and students with varying VR experiences. In Study 1, participants used pre-assigned avatars they could control during interactions. In Study 2, an interviewer used different avatars to interact with participants and assess their impact. Questionnaires and correlation analyses measured embodiment, technostress, privacy, and preference variations across contexts. Results showed that hyper-realistic avatars resembling the user enhanced perceived embodiment and credibility in professional and educational settings, while non-realistic avatars were preferred in recreational contexts, particularly when interacting with strangers. Technostress was generally low, though younger users were more sensitive to avatar appearance, and privacy concerns increased when avatars were controlled by others. Gender differences emerged, with women expressing more concern about appearance and men preferring same-gender avatars in professional environments. These findings highlight the need for VR platform designers to balance realism with user comfort and address privacy concerns to encourage broader adoption in professional and educational applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/6/3290avatarvirtual realityhuman–computer interaction |
| spellingShingle | Cristina Gasch Alireza Javanmardi Ameer Khan Azucena Garcia-Palacios Alain Pagani Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and Technostress Applied Sciences avatar virtual reality human–computer interaction |
| title | Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and Technostress |
| title_full | Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and Technostress |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and Technostress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and Technostress |
| title_short | Exploring Avatar Utilization in Workplace and Educational Environments: A Study on User Acceptance, Preferences, and Technostress |
| title_sort | exploring avatar utilization in workplace and educational environments a study on user acceptance preferences and technostress |
| topic | avatar virtual reality human–computer interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/6/3290 |
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