Using Virtual Reality to Examine Hazard Perception in Package Design

Abstract

Informing users about the correct hazard level associated with products can be one of the most important measures to help promote user safety while they handle hazardous household chemicals. The aim of this paper is to present pilot study's results about the effectiveness of using a VR-based methodology to examine the influence of a container's features (e.g., shapes) on the users' perception of hazardousness. Previous works have mostly used 2D drawings for this type of study. Issues which may compromise the quality of future experiments: e.g., adequacy of VR devices, interaction quality, simulatorsickness, procedure and quality of the instruments (i.e., questionnaires) are discussed. Despite the fact that the key experiment has not yet been completed, very promising results have been obtained, suggesting that the VR simulator and the methodology adopted may provide a successful evaluation of the packages' hazardousness.

Review of Virtual Reality (VR) Applications To Enhance Chemical Safety: From Students to Plant Operators

“…The influence of package design on the user’s perception about the hazardousness of packages containing chemical substances has been possible through the use of VR . Using physical packages would often be time and material consuming.…”

Improving Packaging Design Using Virtual Reality in the Market Research Process

“…To improve user experience the potential users were actively engaged in the design process since its early design stages [12]. Iterative prototyping was also used to observe and examine different product alternatives, with diverse levels of detail, and then compare them with the defined requirements [14].…”

“…The most crucial finding of the literature review was related to market research and different non-traditional interfaces developed with Virtual Reality (VR). VR has gotten marketers interest because it can get consumers attention creative and ingenious way [12].…”

Effects of Packages’ Color as a Cue for Hazard-Related Perceptions: A Study Using Virtual Reality

“…While 2D images (e.g., drawings, pictures) are the method usually adopted for conducting this type of study (e.g., [11,12]), this research, following our previous studies (e.g., [14,27]), also adopts a 3D simulator-based methodology. Virtual Reality (VR) has been suggested as a promising methodological tool for research on safety-related topics (e.g., [28,29]) and User Experience studies (e.g., [30]).…”