Maftei L, H C (2013) Accounting for users: Design team work in immersive virtual reality environments. In: Smith, S D and Ahiaga-Dagbui, D D (eds.) Proceedings of 29th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2013, Reading, UK.
Abstract
The study examines how designers account for the use and users of their design in the situation of reviewing the design in an Immersive Virtual Reality Environment (IVRE). The focus is on the interactions whereby designers express the imagined perspective of being users, and on how the design meeting is configured with respect to the concern around the use of the future building by the real users. Observations are made around how designers express these 'narratives' around experiencing a design as imaginary users through various modes (verbal, graphical, behavioural) involving different procedures and forms of representation. The case study is an on-going construction project for a new hospital in the UK, where an IVRE was used performing design review sessions during the bid preparation stage. Drawing on data based on direct observation and audio-video recordings of multiple design meetings, the scrutiny is on how architects adopt the position of end- users in design sessions in which users do not participate. The aim is to examine the nature and dynamics of interactions inside a design team as they imagine users' needs in an IVRE. The focus is on how architects express and test the 'usage' of their design in this particular technological setting, where life- like movements and physical interactions with the design are possible.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | design; immersive virtual reality environment; interaction |
| Index terms: | bid preparation, drawing, designer, virtual reality, narrative, case study, architect, dynamics, movement, construction project, interaction, design team, direct observation, accounting |
| Subjects: | production management, virtual reality, behavioral psychology, economic analysis, bidding, technical documentation, qualitative and interpretive research, systems engineering, health behaviours and lifestyles, profession, professional practice, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Project Management, Research Practice, Digital Applications, Procurement, Business Strategy, Design Practice, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here