Acting out in real and virtual environments: comparative analysis for future workstyle design

Acting out is a representative experiential approach that is often used in participatory design. The use of enactment approaches to speculate on the future of work is driven by fast-paced implementation of emerging digital technologies. The enactment approaches using virtual reality (VR) attract attention for this purpose; however, there are limited studies looking into the advantages and drawbacks through the comparison among different enactment approaches. To address this research gap, this study conducts empirical comparative analysis of enactment approaches using two comparison axes: design environments (real / virtual) and perspectives in participation (first- / third-person view). The qualitative analysis of two workshops exploring future workstyles by using a prototype VR application, was conducted to investigate the advantages and drawbacks of each enactment approach. Our preliminary findings identified the fidelity of VR, and cultural and personal factors of participants as influential factors in enactment approach selection.