Exploring Collaborative Design Behavior in Virtual Reality Based on Inter-Brain Synchrony

Although collaborative design in virtual reality (VR) is now feasible, enabling face-to-face interactions between individuals, research is lacking on how it impacts design from cognition and how it differs from reality. This study examined the collaborative design behavior of 30 design postgraduates who completed innovation tasks in the early phases of design in both VR and reality based on real-life problems. An experimental analysis of the performance and outcomes of the collaborative design was conducted, and inter-brain synchrony (IBS) was measured using fNIRS based hyperscanning to compare the differences between designers in VR and reality. Although the results indicate no significant difference in final idea quality between the VR and reality groups, differences in design performance and IBS were found. Fewer channels showed significant IBS in the VR group than in the reality group, which was associated with collaborative design performance and satisfaction. Moreover, idea deepening showed less variability than the other phases, which was related to the brain's primary motor cortex. We formulated insights and recommendations based on several dimensions within the method of stimulating a virtual environment: communication, cognitive synchronization, and embodiment.