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

AbstractAlthough 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.Keywords: Collaborative designvirtual reality (VR)hyperscanninginter-brain synchronycognition AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to Shandong University for the support of the experimental site and equipment, and we would like to thank Professor Zhijun Fan from Shandong University for his suggestions for Our research. In addition, we are grateful to the reviewers for their valuable suggestions.Ethical approvalThis study was granted ethical approval by the Ethics Committee of Shandong University and conducted in the Industrial Design Science Laboratory, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University. This study followed the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki 1975. All participants voluntarily participated in this study and gave informed consent before starting the experiment.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis study is supported by the Virtual Teaching and Research Section of Design Theory and Integrated Innovation, funded by the Ministry of Education of China, awarded to the corresponding author [Funding No. 2022-299] and supported by the Shandong Provincial Teaching Reform Grant, China, awarded to the corresponding author [Funding No. Z2021128].Notes on contributorsZiwei PanZiwei Pan received the bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China, in 2021. He is currently pursuing the Master of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China. His research interests are human-computer interaction, VR interaction design.Zhenya WangZhenya Wang received the Doctor of Engineering degree from Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, in 2011. He is currently a Professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, His research interests are human-computer interaction and Industrial design theory and methods.Xiaoyu ZhouXiaoyu Zhou received the Bachelor of Engineering degree in Industrial Design from the School of Mechanical Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, China, in 2021. She is currently a postgraduate student majoring in design at Shandong University, China. Her research interests include design, interaction design, and industrial design.Linqi ZhaoLinqi Zhao received the bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, in 2018. He is currently a postgraduate student majoring in design at Shandong University, China. His research interests are human-computer interaction and design cognition.Danyang HuDanyang Hu received the bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Guangdong Ocean University, ZanJiang, GuangDong, China, in 2021. She is currently pursuing the Master of design, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China. Her research interests are design innovation, collaborative design and design education.Yulin WangYulin Wang received the bachelor’s degree in architecture from Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China, in 2021. She is currently pursuing the Master of design, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China. Her research interests are design innovation, collaborative design and service design.