Verse Project
This is a project I participated in as a user research intern. I researched how virtual reality can implement meditation, ADHD, and the future VR eye tracking market. I finalized the result into a white paper. Feel free to download.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
1. Meditation
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm, and stable state. Scholars have found meditation elusive to define, as practices vary both between traditions and within them. Meditation is practiced in numerous religious traditions. The earliest records of meditation (dhyana) are found in the ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas, and meditation plays a salient role in the contemplative repertoire of Hinduism and Buddhism. Since the 19th century, Asian meditative techniques have spread to other cultures where they have also found application in non-spiritual contexts, such as business and health. Meditation may significantly reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, and enhance peace, perception, self-concept, and well-being. Research is ongoing to better understand the effects of meditation on health (psychological, neurological, and cardiovascular) and other areas.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Type of Meditation
● Guided meditation: Sometimes called guided imagery or visualization, with this method of meditation you form mental images of places or situations you find relaxing.
● Mantra meditation: you silently repeat a calming word, thought, or phrase to prevent distracting thoughts.
● Mindfulness meditation: having an increased awareness and acceptance of living in the present moment.
● Qi gong: meditation, relaxation, physical movement, and breathing exercises
● Tai chi: self-paced series of postures or movements in a slow, graceful manner while practicing deep breathing.
● Transcendental Meditation: you silently repeat a personally assigned mantra, such as a word, sound, or phrase, in a specific way. This form of meditation may allow your body to settle into a state of profound rest and relaxation and your mind to achieve a state of inner peace, without needing to use concentration or effort.
● Yoga: exercises to promote a more flexible body and a calm mind
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Elements of Meditation
● Focused attention
● Relaxed breathing
● A quiet setting
● A comfortable position
● Open attitude (without judgment)
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Benefits of Meditation
● Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
● Building skills to manage your stress
● Increasing self-awareness
● Focusing on the present
● Reducing negative emotions
● Increasing imagination and creativity
● Increasing patience and tolerance
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Trataka(gaze) Meditation Benefits
● Improves vision/eyesight.
● Improves concentration and memory.
● Enhances patience and willpower.
● Improves productivity.
● Calms the mind and promotes inner peace.
● Improves clarity and decision making.
● Provides stress and anxiety relief.
● Deepens sleep and helps sleep related disorders.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
2. GAME AND MINDFULNESS
#Verse: Gaze based VR
3. Virtual Reality for meditation
Why VR for meditation? (advantages)
● Immersion - high presence
● Freedom of space
● Promoting strong visual and auditory cues
● Motivation (self-motivated)
● Enjoyment (positive emotion)
● Interactivity - interactive auditory cues (touchable)
#Verse: Gaze based VR
What are the disadvantages of using VR in meditation?
● Motion sickness
● Technology difficulty
● Novices
● Novel effects
● Lack of clinical evidence
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Who can be beneficial for meditation? (Opposite benefits of mediation)
● Whoever has a high stress level
● Whoever do not know how to manage their stress
● Low self-awareness
● Obsessing past
● Negative emotions
● Anxiety
● Low patience and tolerance
● Concern about the health
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Who needs focus activity in VR? (Brainstorming)
● Prisoners (or rehabilitation program - juvenile)
● Flight passengers
● Esports players
● Psychiatric clinical treatment by psychologists
● Paterons (as one of the library programs)
● Mental work (stressed, overwhelmed, distracted) as stress busting skills
● Company relaxing program
● Religious people (listening to Buddha, god, etc.)
● Sports players (mind control)
● Students (there are literature review that meditation enhance memory and reduce anxiety)
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
4. Virtual Reality Literature review
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Measurements from the literature review
[Virtual Reality for Mindfulness]
● State of mindfulness (individual’s level of perceived mindfulness in relation to the individual’s attention and meta-cognitive orientation across a recent period)
● Emotion state (positive, negative)
● Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (=motion sickness)
● Presence (immersion level)
● acceptability of the intervention
● Experience on the use of technology
[ADHD in VR]
● State of mindfulness
● SNAP-IV test (26 items)
● inattention
● hyperactivity/impulsivity
● opposition/defiance
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Methods from the literature review
● Pre and post test to compare the effectiveness of VR or interventions
● Usually conducting survey (often combining with focus interview to find the reasons)
● Sometimes, using EEG (biofeedback) (however, it is critical for accuracy)
● Average around 40 participants
● For ADHD, most of participants are children
● Stimulus
● VR for mindfulness: 360 videos, simple animation
● ADHD: Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA), CPT (Continuous Performance Test) - VR animation with scenarios such as VR classroom with many distractions.
● Overall, they use VR applications as research stimulus, not enjoyable intervention.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
5. ADHD
ADHD symptoms
● Impulsiveness
● Disorganization and problems prioritizing
● Poor time management skills
● Problems focusing on a task
● Trouble multitasking
● Excessive activity or restlessness
● Poor planning
● Low frustration tolerance
● Frequent mood swings
● Problems following through and completing tasks
● Hot temper
● Trouble coping with stress
“It feels like I have multiple channels in my brain and someone has a remote control to keep changing the channel. It keeps distracting me to focus on one thing at a time because the channel keeps moving back and forth”
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
ADHD_Children
● ADHD is a neurological disorder children are born with
● The APA says it affects 5% of children ages 4 to 17
● Children with ADHD often have other mental issues, such as depression, anxiety, and oppositional defiant disorder
● Children with ADHD often have low self-esteem and poor social skills.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
ADHD_Adult
● Related to childhood history
● Research has found that 4 out of 5 adults with ADHD show signs of at least one other psychiatric disorder
● Anxiety, depression, substance abuse, chronic lateness, low self-esteem, difficulty controlling anger
● Most adults with ADHD suffer from inattention rather than hyperactivity
● Intervention: Medical expert consultant, brain scans of adults with ADHD have suggested a dopamine deficiency
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
“exposure therapy” and “habituation learning techniques.”
Habituation learning is a type of learning in which an innate response to something diminishes with repeated exposure to the stimulus.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
6. ADHD MEASUREMENTS(TOVA)
TOVA (Test of Variables of Attention)
● TOVA presents targets and non-targets as squares that either appear at the top or bottom of the screen.
● providing healthcare professionals with objective measurements of attention and inhibitory control.
● determining whether or not the person truly had problems with paying attention and controlling impulses.
● along with a clinical interview and subjective measures
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
TOVA Mechanics
● TOVA measures participants responses and reaction times to visual or auditory stimulus within three variables - Consistency, Impulsivity and Inattention
● 1st Half of the test - The task is boring and fatiguing, and the subject must pay close attention to respond to the infrequent target correctly. When a subject does not respond to the target, it is called an error of omission and is a measure of inattention.
● 2nd half of the test - When a subject responds to the nontarget, it is called an error of commission and is a measure of impulsivity. Thus the ability to pay attention to a boring, repetitive task is best measured in the first half of the T.O.V.A. while the ability to inhibit oneself is best measured in the second half.
● Variables measured T.O.V.A. measures include variability of response time (consistency), response time, commission (impulsivity), errors of omission (inattention), post-commission response times, multiple and anticipatory responses, and an ADHD score, which is a comparison to an age/gender specific ADHD group.
● TOVA is 10.9 minutes long for ages 4-5
● 21.6 minutes for adults
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
POST HOC
In TOVA and other visual tests, geometric stimuli allows tests to be cross-cultural - stimuli are nonsequential, simple geometric configurations and monochromatic. Durational tests also allow more variables to be measured in comparison to simple surveys, most attention based tests use time as a key variable to judge whether progress is made.
Survey or self assessment tests are easier to administer, however the proof is in the hands of the participant. Attention based surveys are generally structured as numeric responses to specific questions, such as : I am feeling distracted (1-5).
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Types of Tests - Visual / Durational
● Simple Reaction Time (SRT) Simple Reaction Time (SRT) - minimal time needed to respond to a stimulus as well as alertness and motor speed. Participants must press a button/other reaction device as soon as possible once a stimuli [image] is presented on screen. Source: https://www.cambridgecognition.com/cantab/cognitive-tests/simple-reaction-time-srt/
● Cambridge Go/No Go GO/NO-GO (GNG) - pass/fail test principle using two boundary conditions or a binary classification, participants respond to stimuli - go or no go. This can be presented as pressing a button when a positive stimulus is presented, not pressing the button when negative stimuli is presented. source: https://www.cambridgecognition.com/cantab/cognitive-tests/affective-go-no-go-agn/
● Choice Reaction Time (CRT) Choice Reaction Time (CRT) - general alertness and motor speed, to choice reaction time test. Participants are presented with two sets of stimuli, for example an arrow on the left side of the screen or the right side of the screen - participants must press a button on the right or left in correspondence with the stimuli presented on the screen. The time taken to choose the correct option is measured
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Survey / Questionnaire
● MAAS The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) is a 15-item scale designed to assess a core characteristic of dispositional mindfulness, namely, open or receptive awareness of and attention to what is taking place in the present
● ATTC The Attention Control Scale (ATTC) is a self-report scale that is designed to measure two major components of attention (attention focusing and attention shifting). The ATTC consists of 20 items that are rated on a four-point likert scale from 1 (almost never) to 4 (always).
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Response test
● Stroop Test Stroop Test is related to selective attention, which is the ability to respond to certain environmental stimuli while ignoring others. Participants respond to the names of colors which are written in different colors than their names (confusing, ex next slide)
● Simon's Task Simon's Task shows that people respond faster and more accurately if there is a match between stimulus and response features, stimulus-response compatibility effect.
● Navon's Task Navon's Task when objects are arranged in groups, there are global features and local features. For example, a group of trees has local features (the individual trees) and the feature of a forest (the trees together). People are faster in identifying features at the global than at the local level. This effect is also known as global precedence.
● Posner’s Task Posner’s Task / Spatial orientation occurs when attention is drawn to a specific location. Attention can be drawn to a location due to the appearance of a stimulus. In the Posner task, this drawing of attention to a location is called cueing.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Moving Forward
Each of these attention tests and others are documented in PsyToolkit, free to use for running/administering psychological tests and surveys.
First option is to use one or more of Psytoolkit free to use psychological tests or submit a request form to use Cambridge Cognition’s SRT, Go/No-Go or CRT tests along with a pre and post survey which can be tailored to our needs for individual playtests.
We can also purchase the TOVA test, however this will require in person tests as far as I understand. The free resources I have found are structured similarly to the TOVA test.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
7. ADHD MEASUREMENTS(CPT)
CPT (continuous performance test)
Participants are required to depress the space bar when any letter except the letter “X” appears on the screen.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
VR CPT (continuous performance test)
● Virtual Reality Attention Management (UC Davis) ● Virtual Reality Attention Tracker (VRAT) (Cognitive Leap)
● CPT in VR with many distractions
● Clicking or pressing space bar to measure the RT
● “exposure therapy” and “habituation learning techniques.”
● Exposure therapy, often used to help people with anxiety, involves exposing the person to the source of the problem to help them overcome it.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Additional test for ADHD
● performance on measures of short-term memory
● NVIQ (nonverbal intelligence quotient)
● WASI Test (Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence)
○ (a) matrix reasoning, where a picture is selected to best fit in the gap of a series of images
○ (b) block design, where specific patterns are created using red and white blocks
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
VR CPT Treatment Advantages
● Sleep - The findings of the present study support the hypothesis that sleep moderates performance on CPT in children with ADHD while receiving placebo or MPH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1978386/
● it is safer and more effective
● It is easy to develop various environments to make ADHD children be treated
● Less people are required to maintain the treatment than before.
● It is easy to make steady progress with the treatment, arousing one's interest not to be tired.
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
8. IMPLEMENTING FEEDBACK
Gaze Virtual Reality Feedbacks/Measurements
● Heatmap
● Dwell time
● Gaze path
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Case Study
● Ovation: https://www.ovationvr.com/
● Heatmap for gazing
● Grades (gaze, hands, voice)
● Gaze
○ Prioritize attention on audience
○ Avoid staring at speech tools
○ Distribute attention equally among audience sections
○ Avoid staring at audience sections
○ Match attention to audience demographics
○ Distribute attention equally among audience members
○ Sustain eye contact while looking at audience
○ Make sustained eye contact with most audience members
● Anlytics
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
VR eye tracking system
● Tobii VR eye tracker
● https://drive.google.com/file/d/1omqMGQZGz2wvqFQQumd5ds9N0ArOJaC7/view?usp =sharing
● Only integrations with HR Reverb G2, HTC Vive pro, Pico Neo 2
● For developing Tobii XR SDK, you should use Tobii Ocumen in the one of the VR headsets https://vr.tobii.com/sdk/develop/unity/getting-started/tobii-htc-dev-kit/
#Verse: Gaze based VR
HP Omnicept & HP Reverb G2 Omnicept Edition
● Eye tracking
● Heat rate
● https://www.hp.com/us-en/vr/reverb-g2-vr-headset-omnicept-edition.html
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Eye gaze in VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
How to export eye-tracking data
● The aims of this project were to create a virtual test environment in Unity with a moving object, and to have an eye-tracking code that would compare the gaze of the subject to the position of a moving visual target at each frame.
● Result: The aims of this project were met, and all data was successfully exported in a format that can be analyzed in another software (i.e Microsoft Excel).
● https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/25468/Hoffman_Zachary _2020urs.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
#Verse: Gaze based VR
Challenges of VR eye tracking
● It integrates only certain VR devices (currently, Oculus is the top seller, but it doesn’t)
● Difficult to implement without technical experts
● Limited feedback system
● Difficult to export tracking raw data
#Verse: Gaze based VR
#Verse: Gaze based VR
9. Conclusion
Possible market I
● There is needs for eye tracking for VR
● There isn’t software to integrate in the eye tracking unless you buy other VR devices.
● We can develop VR eye tracking SDK with UX feedbacks
Possible market II
● Gaze with feedback
● Improving TOVA or CPT for ADHD with feedback system
● meditation (while practicing with scoring system, self-motivated)
● Easy to download the raw data to utilize for the business purpose or user experience
