Exploring the influence of spatial design on interpersonal space in virtual reality

Abstract

The space between people, or interpersonal space (IPS), shapes and defines the dynamics of interpersonal interactions in virtual environments (VEs), potentially evoking feelings of threat or comfort. Despite its importance, VR platforms lack a standard for IPS, which is essential to prevent user collision and design natural interactions. Moving beyond the existing research focused on situational factors, like the influence of a virtual avatar's appearance or facial expressions, we explore how environmental factors like room color tone (warm vs. cool) and brightness (bright vs. dark) influence IPS in VEs. We employed the 'stop-distance task' to assess the comfort distance between participants and the virtual avatar across eight approach directions (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, 180°, 225°, 270°, 315°) in four distinct virtual rooms. Our findings indicate a significant effect of tone and brightness on IPS, with cool tone and bright rooms significantly reducing IPS, allowing closer interactions. Directionality also played a substantial role, with the largest IPS observed when participants faced the avatar directly(0°) and the shortest IPS when the avatar approached from the rear (180°), highlighting the non-circular nature of IPS in virtual settings. These results provide empirical insights into the intricate relationship between space design and IPS in VEs, underscoring the importance of spatial design in crafting optimal virtual interactions.