Evaluation of the Usability, Functionality, and Content of Virtual Reality Environments with Intelligent Agents for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety

Humans interpret everyday events to understand the social world, where communication and emotions play critical roles. Generalized anxiety disorder impairs emotional interpretation and social interaction, significantly affecting the lives of those who experience it. Virtual reality (VR) has been studied as a therapeutic tool to address this cognitive deficit. This study evaluates the usability, functionality, and content of immersive virtual reality environments designed with Non-Playable Characters (NPCs) to assess anxiety in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder. Three scenarios were developed: a café, an airport, and an office, each featuring different NPCs—a human barista, a minotaur officer, and a masked lawyer. Through Alpha and Beta testing, elements such as audio clarity, environment intuitiveness, and NPC authority perception were evaluated. The results indicate that task familiarity enhances usability, with the café being the highest-rated environment. However, limitations were observed in the airport environment due to audio interference and in the office due to low intuitiveness. These findings highlight the importance of user-centered design to optimize the effectiveness of virtual environments in therapeutic applications.