Effect of eye-tracking-based depth perception visualization interface on virtual reality user experience

Abstract In virtual reality (VR), users underestimate distances between themselves and objects relative to reality. Such issues can negatively impact users’ spatial perception and interactions in VR environments by affecting elements of the VR user experience, such as presence. Therefore, enhancement of depth perception should be studied to improve the VR user experience. In this study, an eye-tracking-based depth perception visualization interface system is proposed to enhance depth perception and improve presence in VR. The visualization interface system consists of a three-dimensional (3D) depth interface or a two-dimensional (2D) depth interface, depending on the interface depth. Experiments on depth perception and presence were conducted to analyze whether the proposed visualization interface affects user experience. An analysis of the experimental results suggests that the proposed visualization interface system can benefit depth perception and presence with the 3D depth interface potentially being more effective than the 2D depth interface.