Influence of Environmental Context and Presentation Format on the Perception of Products for Physical Activity in Virtual Environments

Abstract Virtual Reality (VR) environments are gaining increasing relevance in the field of product evaluation, particularly for items designed to promote physical activity. These immersive technologies enhance user engagement, allow for real-time interaction, and facilitate the simulation of realistic scenarios, thus offering valuable insights into users' perceptual and emotional responses. This study explores how the presentation format and environmental context influence user perception of a treadmill across three scenarios: a real setting, a natural background displayed on a 2D screen, and a fully immersive virtual environment (VE) experienced through a head-mounted display (HMD). The analysis focuses on the impact of these conditions on product attribute evaluation, exertion, and affect-related responses (perceived fatigue and satisfaction), confidence in judgments, observational behavior, interaction within the virtual environment, and levels of cybersickness and presence. Results indicate that natural environments significantly enhance users' perception of the product and overall satisfaction, particularly when presented in an immersive VR format. Although the use of head-mounted displays increased visual fatigue compared to non-immersive conditions, it also generated the highest levels of presence and engagement. These findings open new opportunities for optimizing virtual testing environments, supporting more reliable and emotionally rich product assessments, and guiding design decisions for health and fitness products in immersive contexts.