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Publications

Publications by Maximino Bessa

2022

Immersive multisensory virtual reality technologies for virtual tourism A study of the user's sense of presence, satisfaction, emotions, and attitudes

Authors
Melo, M; Coelho, H; Goncalves, G; Losada, N; Jorge, F; Teixeira, MS; Bessa, M;

Publication
MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS

Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) technologies have been used successfully in tourism marketing. While most conventional VR applications are of an audiovisual nature, the constant evolution of these technologies allows providing enriched multisensory VR content that can further increase the potential of VR applied to the tourism field. To generate insights into the impact of such VR technologies, this manuscript investigates the impact of such multisensory VR setups and gender on the user's sense of presence, satisfaction, emotions, and attitudes. A user study with a gender-balanced sample (N = 80) was carried where two VR setups (audiovisual vs multisensory) were compared taking into account the user's gender. Results revealed that the female sample scored significantly higher spatial presence across VR setups and reported more involvement and overall presence in the audiovisual condition. In addition, correlations were found between the pairs Spatial Presence-Emotions, Spatial Presence-Enjoyment, Satisfaction-Involvement, Satisfaction-Enjoyment, and Satisfaction and Usefulness to perceive the destination. Results also suggest that multisensory stimulus can mitigate possible gender differences in passive VR scenarios. We concluded that the capability of the VR system to make users feel physically present in the virtual environment contributes significantly to the development of positive emotions and enjoyment, which can contribute positively to the user's consumer behaviour towards the touristic products and services.

2021

Impact of Different Role Types and Gender on Presence and Cybersickness in Immersive Virtual Reality Setups

Authors
Melo, M; Gonçalves, G; Narciso, D; Bessa, M;

Publication
International Conference on Graphics and Interaction, ICGI 2021, Porto, Portugal, November 4-5, 2021

Abstract
Several factors have been identified to contribute to the sense of presence and cybersickness, including the preponderance users have in the virtual environments (VE) and their gender. This work focuses on studying the Role Type and gender in a VE and their impact on the sense of presence and cybersickness when immersive Virtual Reality (VR) setups are used. For this, a set of psychophysical experiments were conducted to evaluate a VR scenario with three Role Types: Viewer, Explorer, and Searcher. Results revealed statistically significant differences in Spatial Presence, Cybersickness, Nausea, Oculomotor Discomfort, and Disorientation for Role Type. In the evaluated scenario, it was observed that a more dominant Role Type on the VE leads to a higher reported spatial presence (sense of physically being present in the VE) and higher cybersickness scores. We conclude that a higher relevance of the Role Type makes the users more sensitive to the stimuli present in the VE regarding the coherency of the interaction/simulation and, consequently, more prone to develop cybersickness symptoms. No differences were found between the genders.

2022

What Is the Relationship between the Sense of Presence and Learning in Virtual Reality? A 24-Year Systematic Literature Review

Authors
Krassmann, AL; Melo, M; Pinto, D; Peixoto, B; Bessa, M; Bercht, M;

Publication
PRESENCE-VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY

Abstract
The sense of presence is an important aspect of experiences in Virtual Reality (VR), an emerging technology in education, leading this construct to be increasingly researched in parallel to learning purposes. However, there is not a consensus in the literature on the outcomes of this association. Aiming to outline a panorama in this regard, a systematic literature review was conducted, with a comprehensive analysis of 140 primary studies recovered from five worldwide databases. The analysis shows an overview of 24 years of areas, factors, and methodological approaches that seem to be more inclined to benefit from the sense of presence toward learning purposes. We contribute to the advancement of state of the art by providing an understanding of the relationship among these variables, identifying potential ways to benefit from the sense of presence to further leverage the use of VR for learning purposes.

2022

Authoring tools for virtual reality experiences: a systematic review

Authors
Coelho, H; Monteiro, P; Goncalves, G; Melo, M; Bessa, M;

Publication
MULTIMEDIA TOOLS AND APPLICATIONS

Abstract
Virtual reality (VR) is used in different application fields like health, tourism, or training. Most VR applications for these fields have been built from the ground up without any authoring tool to help the process. This systematic review surveys the existing literature on authoring tools for immersive content and critically analyzes its features and how they are evaluated. It proposes a research agenda with key contribution opportunities for the field. An analysis of the 29 studies that met the eligibility criteria revealed that four records did not present any evaluation regarding the authoring tools' evaluation, and only five records used specialized users to evaluate their authoring tools; all the others used non-specialized users. The most evaluated metrics were usability, effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction. The data collected to evaluate the metrics consisted mainly of Likert scales and reported mean opinion score (MOS). However, few records used well-established questionnaires to evaluate those metrics like System Usability Scale, Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire, After-Scenario Questionnaire and Igroup Presence Questionnaire. Additionally, five of the analyzed records included stimuli other than audiovisual. More research is recommended about the usage of ontologies in authoring tools to comprehend the full potential of its usage since none of them had ontologies.

2022

Impact of Different Levels of Information Presentation on User Experience: A Case Study in a Virtual World

Authors
Silva, A; Sousa, C; Paulino, D; Sousa, M; Melo, M; Bessa, M; Paredes, H;

Publication
INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES, WORLDCIST 2022, VOL 2

Abstract
User experience can be affected by the amount and intensity of information presented. Four scenarios were developed to assess the insertion of information elements (chronometer and hint system) and tested with 37 users to find out if they affected the user's sense of presence and symptoms of cybersickness. In order to instruct users and using virtual reality using the Unity 3D game engine, we created a virtual world where the user has the role of exploring the environment and looking for mushrooms, and can consult a description about it. For tests with users, the IPQp and SSQ questionnaires were applied. The results indicate that it is possible to create a virtual world with the addition of informational components without significantly disturbing the user experience.

2022

Municipal Rating System-A Municipality Compliance Index

Authors
Meirinhos, G; Bessa, M; Leal, C; Silva, R;

Publication
ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES

Abstract
This research paper presents and discusses the main results generated and obtained with the proprietary computer platform CIDIUS (R), developed by the authors of this work, which aims to support the decision-making process of Portuguese mayors. Thus, keeping in mind the theoretical models and based on the data collected through the questionnaire given to the population, we tried to understand the influence that the dimensions Notoriety, Image, and Reputation (NIR), Citizen and Voter Expectations (CVE), Contestation and Complaint of the Municipal Executive (CCME), Perceived Value (PV), and Organizational Performance and Perceived Quality (OPPQ) has a positive effect on Municipe Satisfaction (MS). The parishes of the municipality of Valongo were selected and analyzed, namely the parishes of Alfena, Campo e Sobrado, Valongo, and Ermesinde, and a total of 998 valid questionnaires were collected. It was concluded that all studied dimensions except the Organizational Performance and Perceived Quality (OPPQ) dimension had a positive and statistically significant impact on Municipe Satisfaction (MS). The results of this research suggest the need for the use of these opinion-gathering techniques to encourage active citizen involvement in the daily life of their municipality, as well as the need for valid information that gives executives the ability to take political action that is appropriate to the interests and expectations of citizens.

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