Towards a Common Language for Immersive Experiences: a Cross-Sector Exploration of Concepts and Measurement
How are IX effects measured? And do different sectors even mean the same thing when they use IX concepts and measurement methods? These questions keep evolving alongside developments in the IX field. For Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, this is reason enough to take a fresh, critical look at how existing concepts and methods are perceived — together with other research groups and IX creators from the creative industries.
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Gedeelde inzichten in interactionele en impactvolle XR
XR learning environments - such as VR simulations and interactive training scenarios - are increasingly used in health care, communication, safety and public services. They help professionals practise difficult conversations, analyse complex situations and experiment safely with new behaviour. Despite this growth, it is not yet sufficiently clear which didactic and design choices make these environments effective, inclusive and responsible. The project Gedeelde inzichten in interactionele en impactvolle XR investigates how immersive learning environments can be designed to support learning, reflection and meaningful professional practice. The focus is not on the technology, but on the experience of users: how they navigate, interpret, process feedback and gain insight into digital decision-making processes. Together with XR creators and partners from the health care and public sectors, we analyse existing applications - such as VR-Gedeelde Smart and the BEP environments - and gather experiences from designers, health care professionals, communication advisers and environmental analysts. We build on existing, long-used XR learning environments and a proven collaboration, so that we do not need to develop new technology and can devote resources fully to research, analysis and validation. By linking their practical knowledge to insights from conversation analysis, user experience design, adoption theories and smart education, we develop and validate a set of generic design and didactic principles for effective and responsible XR learning environments. These principles address, among other things, clarity, interaction, reflection, accessibility and value-conscious design. The results yield scalable knowledge for the broad XR sector: from design studios and public organisations to educators working with immersive technology. In doing so, the project contributes to a more responsible and inclusive use of XR in society and offers concrete tools for digital decision-making and complex communication.
GausScape: Evaluating 3D Gaussian Splatting for Spatial Understanding in Greenhouse Environments
In greenhouse horticulture, operators need to monitor optimal growing conditions for crops. Wageningen University & Research (WUR), together with 2 SMEs, is investigating the following question: what desired and undesired effects does a specific 3D technique (Gaussian Splatting) have on operators' work processes, perception and decision-making, compared to the current technique? The insights from this research may also prove relevant to other sectors.
EGG: Hoe een immersieve kunst beleving over transitie doorwerkt in het dagelijks leven van mensen en groepen in een wijk
EGG is a large-scale, sensory-interactive and learning art installation in the shape of an egg, designed to spark encounters and conversations about societal system transitions. The sculpture has a smooth, organic form. Visitors can lean against it, climb on it and move freely around it. They can experience the ‘hatching process’ of an unknown, fictional creature inside the egg through their senses. Through the use of augmented reality (AR) and sensor technology, EGG responds to heat, light and sound. This creates a responsive and partly unpredictable system that prompts spontaneous encounters and conversations among bystanders about transitions taking place in the neighbourhood. The project's implementation and research are guided by the Public Values Guideline for Immersive Experiences (CIIIC), which serves as a framework for the careful handling of visitors, data and societal impact. Art and performance can have profound effects on empathy, meaning-making and shifts in perspective (Brown & Novak-Leonard, 2011; Broadhead & Hooper, 2024; Norton, 2015). However, there is limited knowledge about how such experiences carry through into everyday behaviour, social relationships and neighbourhood-based transition practices (Spaas, 2024; Horvath et al., 2025). This research addresses the question: how does the installation and its development over time resonate with people and within neighbourhood-based transition processes (Vervoort et al., 2020)? And how can the effects of human–art interaction be interpreted in terms of values, relationships and community-building (scaling deep), as a basis for meaningful translation to other contexts (scaling out) (Fraser, 2010 & 2023; Moore et al., 2015)? The research maps experiences, emotions, meanings and possible shifts in thinking and behaviour, building on the data generated by the installation through qualitative research: • EGG as Canvas: visitors leave behind written, drawn and material traces; • EGG Radio: a participatory platform where young people in particular discuss their experiences; • AR and sensor data: which reveal interactions, attention and resonance patterns.
May I ask you a question? A large-scale experiment examining the effectiveness of a multimodal, conversational digital dietitian on nutritional knowledge in virtual reality
Dietitians play a key role in healthcare, but a shortage of well-trained professionals is looming. Wageningen University & Research is therefore investigating an immersive digital dietitian: in VR, patients learn about portion sizes, energy density and food preparation by preparing virtual meals themselves. The central question is whether the virtual dietitian's conversational abilities and non-verbal communication - asking questions, gestures, facial expressions - further strengthen the learning effect.
Responsible Immersive Support for Firefighter Retreat under Unreliable Spatial and Communication Information
Firefighters retreating from a building operate under extreme time pressure, poor visibility and high mental strain - precisely when positioning and communication can become unreliable. The University of Twente is researching how immersive systems can make this uncertainty visible and understandable, so that digital cues support decision-making without creating false confidence or adding to the user's mental load.
ImmersiveValidMovement: Validatie van consumenten-XR voor verantwoorde fysiotherapie oefeningen
In physiotherapy, there is growing interest in using immersive experiences (IX), such as XR serious games, to motivate patients and help them perform exercises correctly. To this end, VerseUS Games has developed XR exercise formats that use the built-in sensors of consumer XR headsets (such as Meta Quest and Pico) to track patients' movements. However, it remains unclear how reliable and valid this data is for assessing clinically relevant joint angles, particularly in patients with complex shoulder complaints. ImmersiveValidMovement therefore focuses primarily on "new methodological approaches to measuring usability and effectiveness of IX". We are developing and validating methods to derive head, neck, shoulder and elbow movements from XR sensor data (headset and hand controllers) and to assess their reliability. We are not developing new IX software or hardware, but working with existing VerseUS games and consumer XR headsets. The focus is on measurement methods, analysis techniques and responsible use. In work package 1 (the first three months), we carry out the preparatory work. Together with physiotherapists (FlevoFysiotherapie), we specify which joint angles and variables are relevant for correctly performing the prescribed exercise (position, velocity, acceleration; within a global coordinate system and/or relative to body segments). VerseUS Games provides the XR environment and handles the technical work of exporting time-synchronised data collected from the headset. UMCG oversees the research protocol, arranges ethical approval, and provides the research labs needed to carry out the study. In work package 2, we then carry out the validation study, comparing the XR measurements against the gold standard (such as Vicon or Optotrak) available at UMCG. Reliability and validity are determined using methods including ICC, Bland–Altman plots, correlations and RMSE. Based on this research, UMCG will deliver a report on the validity and reliability of the VerseUS XR exercises, as measured by the sensors in commercial headsets. This report will form the basis for further development.