Dashing: Fun but Non-Ergonomic? Exploring Transition Effects in VR

Pointing-based teleportation over short distances is a widely used locomotion technique in virtual reality (VR) due to its ability to minimize cybersickness compared to continuous movement methods. Further, teleportation transitions, the visual effects that mediate the user’s perspective change, play a critical role in influencing spatial orientation, task load, cybersickness, and overall user preferences. This study investigates the impact of four commonly used transitions (Cut, Fade, Dissolve, and Dash) on these measures. In addition it investigates the role of environmental visual cue density in supporting spatial orientation. The experiment employed a mixed-subject design, with 24 participants completing navigation tasks across distinct virtual environments using each transition type. Results indicate that spatial orientation was not significantly influenced by the density of visual cues or the transition. However, Dash was highly preferred by participants while associated with the highest task load and cybersickness. These findings highlight the trade-offs between ergonomics and user experience in selection-based teleportation transitions.