4.12 Does not provide enough information for actionable implementation [XAUR]

[SuzanneTaylor]

"4.12 Immersive time limits

User Need 12: Users with cognitive impairments may be adversely affected by spending too much time in any immersive environment or experience, or may lose track of time.
REQ 12a: Allow the user to set a time limit for any immersive session."

https://raw.githack.com/w3c/apa/6d5bf713d9d7c65ecda104c213ad47b0e98cfbe1/xaur/index.html#immersive-time-limits

Thank you so much for bringing this User Need to light.

From the perspective of writing requirements for this, there is not enough information to design demo solutions or related user research. What are the adverse effects? Will the users themselves be aware of these effects? Is it appropriate to allow the user to quickly return to the environment or to turn off the time limit? What is the degree of the adverse effects, as this is needed to inform where such a setting needs to be presented, or even if a time limit should be the default setting. While I can guess that this will vary user-to-user, it would be helpful to have some idea of the lengths of sessions that are problematic, as the experience should be designed so that at least one task can be accomplished within the shortest likely-to-be-needed session length.

A link to any type of source document that outlines what is known so far would help tremendously.

[RealJoshue108]

Thanks for the comments @SuzanneTaylor - we do need access to more research on this, if it is to be considered a valid user requirement. I'm going to ask for input from COGA group.

[RealJoshue108]

Discussed by RQTF May 12th https://www.w3.org/2021/05/12-rqtf-minutes.html

[RealJoshue108]

@SuzanneTaylor There were comments in the group about the usefulness of this user need/req but the assertion is largely experiential or anecdotal - we note the need for links to evidence, and research - and are working on this.

[RealJoshue108]

Also note a student of Gottfried Z recently presented research to APA that may indicate the usefulness of Media Queries in this space. https://www.w3.org/TR/mediaqueries-5/

[SuzanneTaylor]

Thanks for the comments @SuzanneTaylor - we do need access to more research on this, if it is to be considered a valid user requirement. I'm going to ask for input from COGA group.

Thanks much for your response. Based on research related to children and the population generally, I'm 100% sure it is a valid user requirement and should not be dropped. But, as mentioned, it is difficult to take the next design and implementation steps without some cataloging of what's known at this time.

[RealJoshue108]

Based on research related to children and the population generally, I'm 100% sure it is a valid user requirement and should not be dropped.

@SuzanneTaylor Your suggested angle sounds interesting - could you provide any useful URIs with further info on this?

[SuzanneTaylor]

@RealJoshue108

I think this is a good place to look for the latest: https://xrsi.org/

I'm not sure what the best timing would be, but at some point, W3C should ask Kavya Pearlman for some type of joint meeting. I saw a conference presentation by her and it was excellent.

4.10 and 4.11 do not address risk of forgetting that the immersive environment is not real. I think users should be able to set reminders, such as:

• cartoon-style framing (perhaps like seeing the frames of glasses you are wearing, but a bit more pronounced) perhaps with text that says what this is and how to leave (via 4.10)
• visual floor treatment with auditory warning, like you would see at the end of a train platform, if the user walks outside an area predefined to be a safe area to walk in (Important to only require for, and to only implement in, cases where the technology makes this level of positioning reliable, which is not the case with common mobile platforms today.)

[RealJoshue108]

Thanks @SuzanneTaylor thats really helpful :-)

[RealJoshue108]

@SuzanneTaylor I've had a look through some of the content on the xrsi.org website. It does raise/ask v interesting questions. However, I don't see anything substantial around XR and COGA type issue, nor things that validate you (to me sensible) suggestions above. Am I missing something? Or or there particular sections I should look at?

[RealJoshue108]

Also I'm looping in @CityMouse into this discussion

[SuzanneTaylor]

Well, this is the line of reasoning I was following:

Recommendations for the average user includes breaks, so I think there is plenty of evidence then to suggest that this is a user need for anyone. And, we know people can forget things (like I leave on my sunglasses and wonder why its so dark) and that VR can look/sound/seem nearly like reality, so we know reminders are a user need. It follows that built-in reminders and timers might be a greater need if you have greater difficulties than average with memory. I think that is straightforward enough to include the user needs.

This article lists some of the warnings from manufactures in a helpful way:
https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/13/health/virtual-reality-vr-dangers-safety/index.html

Then, there are many (surprisingly different) articles on why/whether/how children should use VR and at what age, and I wonder if neurodiversity and different rates of development could come into play... I haven't kept a list of these articles, because I just skim them for anything that might be related to hand-held cellphone AR. (Which is what I was trying to figure out when I wrote this issue!) But, I'll keep any that seem particularly good going forward.

Some more thoughts: http://thingsentertainment.net/traumatic_stress_virtual_reality_accessibility.html

[RealJoshue108]

Adding @rainbreaw so she can track relevant issues

[RealJoshue108]

@SuzanneTaylor FYI I've flagged this for discussion in RQTF

[SuzanneTaylor]

Maud Stiernet found this detailed literature review (Literature review on the safety of domestic VR systems), which I thought was valuable enough to highlight in this github issue. (Other documents related to XR and Accessibility for Children will be accumulating here: https://www.w3.org/community/accessibility4children/wiki/Main_Page#List_of_documents_that_speak_to_XR_.28Virtual_Reality.2C_Augmented_Reality.2C_Mixed_Reality.29)